II 


UC-NRLF 


B   ^   tt3   MAD 


ntnu 

mLES 

O 


i 


I  REkAND 


JEREMIAH 
t  CURTIN 


*^ 


HERO-TALES  OF  IRELAND 


THE     SHORT    DUN    CHAMPION    WENT    WITH    ONE    LEAP    FROM 

THE    DECK    OF    THE    SHIP    TO    THE   STRAND. 

FRONTISPIECE.     See  page  87. 


HEROmES 
IREMND 

JEREMIAH  CURTIN 

Jltustrations^ 
MAURICE  DAY 


EDUC.> 
PSVCH, 
UBRMir 


/' 


BOSTON 
LITTLE.  BEOWN.€r  COMPANY 


BBUC 
UBRAiiiV 


Copyright,  i8g4. 
By  Jeremiah  Curtin. 


Copyright,  ig2i, 
By  Little,  Brown,  and  Company. 


A II  rights  reserved. 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


CONTENTS. 

Page 
Elin   Gow,   the    Swordsmith    from   Erin,   and   the 

Cow  Glas  Gainach i 

Mor's  Sons  and  the  Herder  from  Under  the  Sea  .  35 
Saudan    Og  and  the   Daughter  of    the    King  of 

Spain  ;   Young    Conal  and  the  Yellow    King's 

Daughter 58 

The  Black  Thief  and  King  Conal's  Three  Horses  93 
The  King's  Son  from  Erin,  the  Sprisawn,  and  the 

Dark  King 114 

The    Amadan    Mor    and    the    Gruagach    of    the 

Castle  of  Gold 140 

The  King's  Son  and  the  White-Bearded  Scolog    .     163 


914SG3 


vi  Contents. 


Page 

Dyeermud  Ulta  and  the  King  in  South  Erin     .    .  182 

Cud,  Cad,  and  Micad,  Three  Sons  of  the  King  of 

Urhu 198 

Cahal,  Son  of  King  Conor,  in  Erin,  and  Bloom  of 

Youth,  Daughter  of  the  King  of  Hathony   .    .  223 

Coldfeet  and  the  Queen  of  Lonesome  Land  .     .     .  242 

Lawn  Dyarrig,  Son  of  the  King  of  Erin,  and  the 

Knight  of  Terrible  Valley 262 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  Short  Dun  Champion  went  with  one  leap 
from  the  deck  of  the  ship  to  the  strand      .     . 

He  brought  the  cow  every  day,  till  he  had  the 
seven  years  spent 

He  hurried  through  the  door  and  disappeared     . 

They  began  to  talk  as  Micky  moved  forward .     . 

With  one  blast  from  both  nostrils,  he  sent  the 
old  hag  up  into  the  sky 

It  was  not  long  till  his  legs  as  well  as  his  feet 
were  out  of  the  house 


Frontispiece 
Page 

10 

44 
147 

193 

243 


0      ■»     '      1      >    %•     »      >  ,» 


HERO-TALES  OF  IRELAND. 


ELIN   GOW,    THE    SWORDSMITH   FROM 

ERIN,  AND   THE  COW  GLAS 

GAINACH. 

ONCE  King  Under  the  Wave  went  on  a  visit 
to  the  King  of  Spain,  for  the  two  were 
great  friends.  The  King  of  Spain  was  com- 
plaining, and  very  sorry  that  he  had  not  butter 
enough.  He  had  a  great  herd  of  cows;  but  for 
all  that,  he  had  not  what  butter  he  wanted.  He 
said  that  he  'd  be  the  richest  man  in  the  world 
if  he  had  butter  in  plenty  for  himself  and  his 
people. 

"Do  not  trouble  your  mind,"  said  King  Under 
the  Wave.  "I  will  give  you  Glas  Gainach,  — a 
cow  that  is  better  than  a  thousand  cows,  and  her 
milk  is  nearly  all  butter." 

The  King  of  Spain  thanked  his  guest  for  the 
promise,  and  was  very  glad.  King  Under  the 
Wave  kept  his  word ;  he  sent  Glas  Gainach,  and 


^  ..  ^ Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

o«     •    ^^       *    •  •  •  •  •       '      ' 

a  messenger  with  instructions  how  to  care  for 
the  cow,  and  said  that  if  she  was  angered  in  any 
way  she  would  not  stay  out  at  pasture.  So  the 
king  took  great  care  of  her;  and  the  report  went 
through  all  nations  that  the  King  of  Spain  had 
the  cow  called  Glas  Gainach. 

The  King  of  Spain  had  an  only  daughter,  and 
he  was  to  give  the  cow  with  the  daughter;  and 
the  cow  was  a  great  fortune,  the  best  dower  in 
the  world  at  that  time.  The  king  said  that  the 
man  who  would  do  what  he  put  on  him  would  get 
the  daughter  and  the  cow. 

Champions  came  from  every  part  of  the  world, 
each  man  to  try  his  fortune.  In  a  short  time 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  men  lost  their  heads 
in  combat.  The  king  agreed  then  that  any  man 
who  would  serve  seven  years,  and  bring  the  cow 
safe  and  sound  every  day  of  that  time  to  the 
castle,  would  have  her. 

In  minding  the  cow,  the  man  had  to  follow  her 
always,  never  go  before  her,  or  stop  her,  or  hold 
her.  If  he  did,  she  would  run  home  to  the  castle. 
The  man  must  stop  with  her  when  she  wanted  to 
get  a  bite  or  a  drink.  She  never  travelled  less 
than  sixty  miles  a  day,  eating  a  good  bite  here 
and  a  good  bite  there,  and  going  hither  and 
over. 

The   King  of   Spain  never  told  men   how  to 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach.      3 

mind   the   cow;  he  wanted   them   to    lose   their 
heads,  for  then  he  got  their  work  without  wages. 

One  man  would  mind  her  for  a  day;  another 
would  follow  her  to  the  castle  for  two  days;  a 
third  might  go  with  her  for  a  week,  and  some- 
times a  man  could  not  come  home  with  her  the 
first  day.  The  man  should  be  loose  and  swift 
to  keep  up  with  Glas  Gainach.  The  day  she 
walked  least  she  walked  sixty  miles;  some  days 
she  walked  much  more. 

It  was  known  in  Erin  that  there  was  such  a 
cow,  and  there  was  a  smith  in  Cluainte  above 
here,  three  miles  north  of  Fintra,  and  his  name 
was  Elin  Gow.  He  was  the  best  man  in  Erin  to 
make  a  sword  or  any  weapon  of  combat.  From 
all  parts  of  Erin,  and  from  other  lands  also, 
young  princes  who  were  going  to  seek  their  for- 
tunes came  to  him  to  have  him  make  swords  for 
them.  Now  what  should  happen  but  this.?  It 
came  to  him  in  a  dream  three  nights  in  succes- 
sion that  he  was  to  go  for  Glas  Gainach,  the 
wonderful  cow.  At  last  he  said,  "  I  will  go  and 
knock  a  trial  out  of  her;  I  will  go  toward  her." 

He  went  to  Tramor,  where  there  were  some 
vessels.  It  was  to  the  King  of  Munster  that 
he  went,  and  asked  would  he  lend  him  a  vessel. 
Elin  Gow  had  made  many  swords  for  the  king. 
The  king  said  that  he  would  lend  the  vessel  with 


Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 


willingness,  and  that  if  he  could  do  more  for  him 
he  would  do  it.  Elin  Gow  got  the  vessel,  and 
put  stores  in  it  for  a  day  and  a  year.  He  turned 
its  prow  then  to  sea  and  its  stern  to  land,  and 
was  ploughing  the  main  ocean  till  he  steered 
into  the  kingdom  of  Spain  as  well  as  if  he  had 
had  three  pilots,  and  there  was  no  one  but  him- 
self in  it.  He  let  the  wind  guide  the  ship,  and 
she  came  into  the  very  harbor  of  the  province 
where  the  king's  castle  was. 

When  Elin  Gow  came  in,  he  cast  two  anchors 
at  the  ocean  side  and  one  at  the  shore  side,  and 
settled  the  ship  in  such  a  way  that  there  was  not 
a  wave  to  strike  her,  nor  a  wind  to  rock  her,  nor 
a  crow  to  drop  on  her;  and  he  left  her  so  that 
nothing  would  disturb  her,  and  a  fine,  smooth 
strand  before  her :  he  left  her  fixed  for  a  day  and 
a  year,  though  he  might  not  be  absent  an  hour. 

He  left  the  vessel  about  midday,  and  went  his 
way  walking,  not  knowing  where  was  he  or  in 
what  kingdom.  He  met  no  man  or  beast  in  the 
place.  Late  in  the  evening  he  saw,  on  a  broad 
green  field  at  a  distance,  a  beautiful  castle,  the 
grandest  he  had  ever  set  eyes  on. 

When  he  drew  near  the  castle,  the  first  house 
he  found  was  a  cottage  at  the  wayside ;  and  when 
he  was  passing,  v/ho  should  see  him  but  a  very 
old  man  inside   in   the  cottage.     The  old   man 


Elin  Gow  and  t^e  Cow  Glas  Gainach.     5 

rose  up,  and  putting  his  two  hands  on  the  jambs 
of  the  door,  reached  out  his  head  and  hailed  him. 
Elin  Gow  turned  on  his  heel;  then  the  old  man 
beckoned  to  him  to  enter. 

There  were  four  men  in  front  of  the  castle, 
champions  of  valor,  practising  feats  of  arms. 
Flashes  of  light  came  from  their  swords.  These 
men  were  so  trained  that  they  would  not  let  a 
sword-stroke  touch  any  part  of  their  bodies. 

"Come  in,"  said  the  old  man;  **  maybe  you 
would  like  to  have  dinner.  You  have  eaten 
nothing  on  the  way." 

"That  was  a  mistake  of  my  own,"  said  Elin 
Gow;  "for  in  my  ship  are  provisions  of  all  kinds 
in  plenty." 

"Never  mind,"  said  the  old  man;  "you  will 
not  need  them  in  this  place;"  and  going  to  a 
chest,  he  took  out  a  cloth  which  he  spread  on  a 
table,  and  that  moment  there  came  on  it  food  for 
a  king  or  a  champion.  Elin  Gow  had  never 
seen  a  better  dinner  in  Erin. 

"  What  is  your  name  and  from  what  place  are 
you  ? "  asked  the  old  man  of  his  guest. 

"From  Erin,"  said  he,  "and  my  name  is  Elin 
Gow.  What  country  is  this,  and  what  castle  is 
that  out  before  us.?" 

"  Have  you  ever  heard  talk  of  the  kingdom  of 
Spain }  "  asked  the  old  man. 


Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 


"  I  have,  and  't  is  to  find  it  that  I  left  home. " 

"Well,  this  is  the  kingdom  of  Spain,  and  that 
building  beyond  is  the  castle  of  the  king." 

"And  is  it  here  that  Glas  Gainach  is?" 

"It  is,"  said  the  old  man.  "And  is  it  for  her 
that  you  left  Erin  >  " 

"It  is  then,"  said  Elin  Gow. 

"I  pity  you,"  said  the  old  man;  "it  would  be 
fitter  for  you  to  stop  at  home  and  mind  some- 
thing else  than  to  come  hither  for  that  cow. 
'T  is  not  hundreds  but  thousands  of  men  that 
have  lost  their  heads  for  her,  and  I  am  in  dread 
that  you  '11  meet  the  same  luck." 

"Well,  I  will  try  my  fortune,"  said  Elin  Gow. 
"  'T  is  through  dreams  that  I  came." 

"I  pity  you,"  said  the  old  man,  "and  more- 
over because  you  are  from  Erin.  I  am  half  of 
your  country,  for  my  mother  was  from  Erin.  Do 
you  know  now  how  this  cow  will  be  got.**  " 

"I  do  not,"  said  Elin  Gow;  "I  know  nothing 
in  the  world  about  it." 

"You  will  not  be  long,"  said  the  old  man, 
"without  knowledge.  I  '11  tell  you  about  her, 
and  what  conditions  will  be  put  on  you  by  the 
king.  He  will  bind  you  for  the  term  of  seven 
years  to  bring  the  cow  home  safe  and  sound  to 
his  castle  every  evening.  If  you  fail  to  bring 
her,  your  head  will  be  cut  off  that  same  evening. 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach.     7 

That  is  one  way  by  which  many  kings'  sons  and 
champions  that  came  from  every  part  of  the 
world  were  destroyed.  There  are  spikes  all 
around  behind  the  castle,  and  a  head  on  each 
spike  of  them.  You  will  see  for  yourself  to- 
morrow when  you  go  to  the  castle,  and  a  dread- 
ful sight  it  is,  for  you  will  not  be  able  to  count 
the  heads  that  are  there  on  the  spikes.  I  will 
give  you  now  an  advice  that  I  have  never  given 
any  man  before  this,  but  I  have  heard  of  you 
from  my  mother.  You  would  be  a  loss  to  the 
country  you  came  from.  You  are  a  great  man 
to  make  swords  and  all  kinds  of  weapons  for 
champions. 

*'  The  king  will  not  tell  you  what  to  do,  but  I  '11 
tell  you:  you  '11  be  as  swift  as  you  can  when  you 
go  with  the  cow;  keep  up  with  her  always.  The 
day  she  moves  least  she  will  travel  thirty  miles 
going  and  thirty  miles  coming,  and  you  will  have 
rest  only  while  she'll  be  feeding,  and  she  will 
take  only  a  few  minutes  here  and  a  few  minutes 
there;  wherever  she  sees  the  best  place  she'll 
take  a  bite;  and  do  not  disturb  her  wherever  she 
turns  or  walks,  and  do  not  go  before  her  or  drive 
her.  If  you  do  what  I  say,  there  will  be  no  fear 
of  you,  if  you  can  be  so  swift  as  to  keep  up  with 
the  cow." 

"I  am  not  in  dread  of  falling  back,"  said  Elin 
Gow. 


8  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"Then  there  will  be  no  fear  of  you  at  all,"  said 
the  old  man. 

Elin  Gow  remained  in  the  cottage  that  night. 
In  the  morning  the  old  man  spread  his  cloth  on 
the  table ;  food  and  drink  for  a  king  or  a  cham- 
pion were  on  it  that  moment.  Elin  Gow  ate  and 
drank  heartily,  left  good  health  with  the  old 
man,  and  went  to  the  castle.  The  king  had  a 
man  called  the  Tongue-speaker,  who  met  and 
announced  every  stranger.  "Who  are  you  or 
why  do  you  come  to  the  castle.'* "  asked  this  man 
of  Elin  Gow. 

"I  wish  to  speak  to  the  king  about  Glas 
Gainach." 

**  Oh,"  said  the  speaker,  "you  are  badly  wanted, 
for  it  is  three  days  since  the  last  man  that  was 
after  her  lost  his  head.  Come,  and  I  will  show 
it  to  you  on  the  spike,  and  I  am  in  dread  your 
own  head  will  be  in  a  like  place." 

"Never  mind,"  said  Elin  Gow;  "misfortune 
cannot  be  avoided.     We  will  do  our  best." 

The  Tongue-speaker  went  to  the  king  then,  and 
said,  "There  is  a  man  outside  who  has  come  for 
Glas  Gainach." 

The  king  went  out,  and  asked  Elin  Gow  what 
he  wanted  or  what  brought  him.  He  told  him, 
as  he  told  the  speaker,  that  it  was  for  the  cow  he 
had  come. 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach.      9 

"And  is  it  in  combat  or  in  peace  that  you  want 
to  get  her?" 

"'Tis  in  peace,"  said  Elin  Gow. 

"You  can  try  with  swords  or  with  herding, 
whichever  you  wish." 

"We  will  choose  the  herding,"  said  Elin  Gow. 

"Well,"  said  the  king,  "this  is  how  we  will 
bind  ourselves.  You  are  to  bring  Glas  Gainach 
here  to  me  every  evening  safe  and  sound  during 
seven  years,  and,  if  you  fail,  *t  is  your  head  that 
you  will  lose.  Do  you  see  those  heads  on  the 
spikes  there  behind  .!*  'Tis  on  account  of  Glas 
Gainach  they  are  there.  If  you  come  home  with 
the  cow  every  night,  she  will  be  yours  when  seven 
years  are  spent, — I  bind  myself  to  that,"  said 
the  king. 

"Well,"  said  Elin  Gow,  "I  am  satisfied  with 
the  conditions." 

Next  morning  Glas  Gainach  was  let  out,  and 
both  went  together  all  day,  she  and  Elin  Gow. 
She  went  so  swiftly  that  he  threw  his  cap  from 
him ;  he  could  not  carry  it  half  the  day.  All  the 
rest  he  had  was  while  she  was  feeding  in  any 
place.  He  was  after  her  then  till  she  came 
home,  and  he  brought  her  back  as  safe  and  sound 
as  in  the  morning.  The  king  came  out  and  wel- 
comed him,  saying,  "  You  've  taken  good  care  of 
her;  many  a  man  went  after  her  that  did  not 
bring  her  home  the  first  day." 


lo  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"Life  is  sweet,"  said  Elin  Gow;  **I  did  the 
best  hand  I  could.  I  know  what  I  have  to  get 
if  I  fail  to  bring  her.'* 

The  king  gave  Elin  Gow  good  food  and  drink, 
so  that  he  was  more  improving  than  failing  in 
strength,  and  made  his  way  and  brought  the  cow 
every  day  till  he  had  the  seven  years  spent ;  then 
he  said  to  the  king,  "My  time  is  up;  will  I  get 
the  cow.?" 

"Oh,  why  not.?"  said  the  king.  "You  will: 
you  have  earned  her  well;  you  have  done  more 
than  any  man  who  walked  the  way  before.  See 
now  how  many  have  lost  their  heads;  count 
them.  You  are  better  than  any  of  them.  I 
would  not  deny  or  break  my  word  or  agreement. 
You  were  bound  to  bring  her,  and  I  am  bound  to 
give  her.  Now  she  is  yours  and  not  mine,  but 
if  she  comes  back  here  again,  don't  have  any  eye 
after  her;  you  '11  not  get  her." 

"That  will  do,"  said  Elin  Gow.  "I  will  take 
good  care  not  to  let  her  come  to  you.  I  minded 
her  the  last  seven  years." 

"Well,"  said  the  king,  "I  don't  doubt  you." 

They  gave  the  cow  food  that  morning  inside; 
did  not  let  her  out  at  all.  Elin  Gow  bound  the 
cow  in  every  way  he  wished,  to  bring  her  to  the 
vessel.  He  used  all  his  strength,  raised  the  two 
anchors  on  the  ocean  side,  pulled  in  the  vessel 


HE     BROUGHT     THE     COW     EVERY     DAY     TILL     HE     HAD     THE 
SEVEN    Y'EARS    SPENT.        Page  10. 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach,     1 1 

to  put  the  cow  on  board.  When  Elin  Gow  was 
on  board,  he  turned  the  stem  of  the  ship  toward 
the  sea,  and  the  stern  toward  land.  He  was  sail- 
ing across  the  wide  ocean  till  he  came  to  Tramor, 
the  port  in  Erin  from  which  he  had  started  when 
going  to  Spain.  Elin  Gow  brought  Glas  Gainach 
on  shore,  took  her  to  Cluainte,  and  was  minding 
her  as  carefully  as  when  he  was  with  the  King 
of  Spain. 

Elin  Gow  was  the  best  man  in  Erin  to  make 
swords  and  all  weapons  for  champions;  his  name 
was  in  all  lands.  The  King  of  Munster  had  four 
sons,  and  the  third  from  the  oldest  was  Cian.  He 
was  neither  dreaming  nor  thinking  of  anything 
night  or  day  but  feats  of  valor;  his  grandfather, 
Art  Mac  Cuin,  had  been  a  great  champion,  and 
was  very  fond  of  Cian.  He  used  to  say,  "  Kind 
father  and  grandfather  for  him;  he  is  not  like 
his  three  brothers." 

When  twenty  years  old,  Cian  said,  "  I  will  go 
to  try  my  fortune.  My  father  has  heirs  enough. 
I  would  try  other  kingdoms  if  I  had  a  sword." 

"You  may  have  my  sword,"  said  the  father. 

Cian  gave  the  sword  a  trial,  and  at  the  first 
turn  he  broke  it.  "No  sword  will  please  me," 
said  Cian,  "unless,  while  grasping  the  hilt  with 
the  blade  pointed  forward,  I  can  bend  the  blade 
till   its   point  touches   my  elbow  on   the  upper 


12  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

side,  then  let  it  spring  back  and  bend  it  again 
till  the  point  touches  my  elbow  on  the  under 
side." 

"There  is  not  a  man  in  Erin  who  could  make 
a  sword  like  that,"  said  the  father,  "but  Elin 
Gow,  and  I  am  full  sure  that  he  will  not  make  it 
at  this  time,  for  he  is  minding  Glas  Gainach. 
He  earned  her  well,  and  he  will  guard  her;  seven 
years  did  he  travel  bareheaded  without  hat  or 
cap,  —  a  thing  which  no  man  could  do  before 
him.  It  would  be  useless  to  go  to  him,  for  he  has 
never  worked  a  stroke  in  the  forge  since  he 
brought  Glas  Gainach  to  Erin,  and  he  would  not 
let  her  go.  He  would  make  the  sword  but  for 
that.     It's  many  a  sword  hQ  made  for  me." 

**  Well, I  will  try  him,"  said  Cian.  "I  will  ask 
him  to  make  the  sword." 

Cian  started,  and  never  stopped  till  he  stood 
before  Elin  Gow  at  Cluainte,  and  told  him  who 
he  was. 

Elin  Gow  welcomed  the  son  of  the  king,  and 
said,  "Your  father  and  I  were  good  friends  in 
our  young  years.  It  was  often  I  made  swords 
and  other  weapons  for  him.  And  what  is  it  that 
brought  you  to-day }  " 

"  It  is  a  sword  I  want.  I  wish  to  go  and  seek 
my  fortune  in  some  foreign  land.  I  want  a  good 
sword,  and  my  father  says  you  are  the  best  man 
in  Erin  to  make  one." 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach,    1 3 

"I  was,"  said  Elin  Gow;  "and  I  am  sorry 
that  I  cannot  make  you  one  now.  I  am  engaged 
in  minding  Glas  Gainach ;  and  I  would  not  trust 
any  one  after  her  but  myself,  and  I  have  enough 
to  do  to  mind  her." 

Cian  told  how  the  sword  was  to  be  made. 

"Oh,"  said  Elin  Gow,  "I  would  make  it  in 
any  way  you  like  but  for  the  cow,  and  I  would 
not  wish  to  let  your  father's  son  go  away  with- 
out a  sword.  I  will  direct  you  to  five  or  six 
smiths  that  are  making  swords  now,  in  place  of 
me  since  I  went  for  Glas  Gainach." 

He  gave  the  names,  and  the  king's  son  went 
away. 

None  of  them  could  make  the  sword  in  the 
way  Cian  wanted.     He  came  back  to  Elin  Gow. 

"You  have  your  round  made.^"  said  Elin 
Gow. 

"I  have,"  said  Cian,  "but  in  vain;  for  none 
of  them  would  make  the  sword  in  the  way  asked 
of  him." 

"Well,  I  do  not  wish  to  let  you  go.  I  will 
take  the  risk." 

"Very  well,"  said  Cian;  "I  will  go  after  Glas 
Gainach  to-morrow,  while  you  are  making  the 
sword,  and  if  I  don't  bring  her,  you  may  have 
my  head  in  the  evening." 

"Well,"  said  Elin  Gow,  "I  am  afraid  to  trust 


14  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

you,  for  many  a  champion  lost  his  head  on  ac- 
count of  her  before;  but  I'll  run  the  risk.  I 
must  make  the  sword  for  you." 

The  king's  son  stopped  that  night  with  Elin 
Gow,  who  gave  him  the  best  food  and  drink  he 
had,  and  let  out  Glas  Gainach  before  him  next 
morning,  and  told  him  not  to  come  in  front  of  her 
in  any  place  where  she  might  want  to  feed  or 
drink.  He  advised  him  in  every  way  how  to 
take  care  of  her.  Away  went  Cian  with  the  cow, 
and  he  was  doing  the  right  thing  all  day.  She 
moved  on  always,  and  went  as  far  as  Caorha, 
southwest  of  Tralee,  the  best  spot  of  land  in 
Kerry  for  grass.  When  she  had  eaten  enough, 
she  turned  toward  home,  and  Cian  was  at  her  tail 
all  the  day.  When  he  and  Glas  Gainach  were 
five  miles  this  side  of  Tralee,  near  the  water  at 
Derrymor,  where  she  used  to  drink,  Cian  saw 
her  going  close  to  deep  water;  he  came  before 
her,  and  turned  her  back;  and  what  did  she  do 
but  jump  through  the  air  like  a  bird,  and  then 
she  went  out  through  the  sea  and  left  him.  He 
walked  home  sad  and  mournful,  and  came  to  Elin 
Gow's  house.  The  smith  asked  him  had  he  the 
cow,  and  he  said,  "I  have  not.  I  was  doing 
well  till  I  came  to  Derrymor,  and  she  went  so 
near  deep  water  that  I  was  afraid  she  would  go 
from  me.     I  stopped  her,  and  what  did  she  do 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach,    1 5 

but  fly  away  like  a  bird,  and  go  out  through  the 
sea. " 

"God  help  us,"  said  Elin  Gow,  "but  the  mis- 
fortune cannot  be  helped." 

"I  am  the  cause,"  said  Cian;  "you  may  have 
my  head." 

"What  is  done,  is  done.  I  would  never  take 
the  head  off  you,  but  she  is  a  great  loss  to  me. " 

"I  am  willing  and  satisfied  to  give  you  my 
head,"  said  Cian.     "Have  you  the  sword  made.?  " 

"I  have,"  said  Elin  Gow. 

Cian  took  the  blade,  tested  it  in  every  way,  and 
found  that  he  had  the  sword  he  wanted. 

He  swore  an  oath  then  to  Elin  Gow  that  he 
would  not  delay  day  or  night,  nor  rest  anywhere, 
till  he  had  lost  his  head  or  brought  back  Glas 
Gainach. 

"I  am  afraid  your  labor  will  be  useless,"  said 
Elin  Gow,  "and  that  you  will  never  be  able  to 
bring  her  back.  I  could  not  have  brought  her 
myself  but  for  the  advice  of  an  old  man  that  I 
met  before  I  saw  the  King  of  Spain." 

Cian  went  home  to  his  father's  castle.  The 
king  saw  him  coming  with  the  sword.  "I  see 
that  Elin  Gow  did  not  refuse  you." 

"He  did  not,"  said  Cian.  "He  made  the 
sword,  and  it  is  a  sore  piece  of  work  for  him. 
He  has  parted  with  Glas  Gainach.     I  promised 


1 6  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

to  give  my  head  if  I  did  not  bring  her  home  to 
him  in  safety  while  he  was  making  the  sword. 
I  minded  her  well  all  day  till  she  came  to  a  place 
where  she  used  to  drink  water.  I  did  not  know 
that;  but  it  was  my  duty  to  know  it,  for  he 
directed  me  in  every  way  needful  how  to  mind 
her.  I  was  bringing  her  home  in  safety  till  I 
brought  her  to  Derrymor  River;  and  I  went  be- 
fore her  to  turn  her  back,  —  and  that  was  foolish, 
for  he  told  me  not  to  turn  her  while  I  was  with 
her,  —  and  she  did  nothing  but  spring  like  a  bird 
and  out  to  sea  and  away.  I  promised  Elin  Gow 
in  the  morning  if  I  did  not  bring  the  cow  to  give 
him  my  head ;  and  I  offered  it  when  I  came,  as  I 
had  not  the  cow,  but  he  said,  'I  will  never  take 
the  head  off  a  son  of  your  father,  even  for  a 
greater  loss. '  And  for  this  reason  I  will  never 
rest  nor  delay  till  I  go  for  Glas  Gainach  and 
bring  her  back  to  Elin  Gow,  or  lose  my  head;  so 
make  ready  your  best  ship." 

**The  best  ship,"  said  the  king,  "is  the  one 
that  Elin  Gow  took." 

The  king's  son  put  provisions  for  a  day  and  a 
year  in  the  vessel.  He  set  sail  alone  and  away 
with  him  through  the  main  ocean,  and  he  never 
stopped  till  he  reached  the  same  place  to  which 
Elin  Gow  had  sailed  before.  He  cast  two 
anchors   on    the   ocean  side,   and  one   next   the 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach,    1 7 

shore,  and  left  the  ship  where  there  was  no  wind 
to  blow  on  her,  no  waves  of  the  ocean  to  touch 
her,  no  crows  of  the  air  to  drop  on  her.  He 
went  his  way  then,  and  was  walking  always  till 
evening,  when  he  saw  at  a  distance  the  finest 
castle  he  had  ever  set  eyes  on.  He  went  toward 
it ;  and  when  he  was  near,  he  saw  four  champions 
at  exercise  near  the  castle.  He  was  going  on 
the  very  same  road  that  Elin  Gow  had  taken, 
and  was  passing  the  same  cottage,  when  the  old 
man  saw  him  and  hailed  him.  He  turned  toward 
the  cottage. 

"Come  to  my  house  and  rest,"  said  the  old 
man.  **From  what  country  are  you,  and  what 
brought  you.^ " 

**  I  am  a  son  of  the  King  of  Munster  in  Erin; 
and  now  will  you  tell  me  what  place  is 
this.?" 

"You  are  in  Spain,  and  the  building  beyond 
there  is  the  king's  castle." 

"  Very  well  and  good.  It  was  to  see  the  king 
that  I  left  Erin,"  said  Cian. 

"  It  is  for  Glas  Gainach  that  you  are  here,  I  sup- 
pose," said  the  old  man.  *'  It  is  useless  for  you  to 
try;  you  never  can  bring  her  from  the  king.  It 
was  a  hundred  times  easier  when  Elin  Gow 
brought  her ;  it  is  not  that  way  now,  but  by  force 
and  bravery  she  is  to  be  taken.     It  is  a  pity  to 


1 8  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

have  you  lose  your  head,  like  so  many  kings  and 
champions." 

"I  must  try,"  said  Cian;  "for  it  was  through 
me  that  Elin  Gow  lost  Glas  Gainach.  I  wanted 
a  sword  to  try  my  fortune,  and  there  was  not  a 
smith  in  Erin  who  could  make  it  as  I  wanted 
except  Elin  Gow;  he  refused.  I  told  him  that  I 
would  give  my  head  if  I  did  not  bring  the  cow 
home  to  him  in  safety.  I  followed  her  well  till, 
on  the  way  home,  she  went  to  drink  near  the  sea, 
and  I  went  before  her;  that  moment  she  sprang 
away  like  a  bird,  and  went  out  through  the 
water." 

"I  am  afraid,"  said  the  old  man,  "that  to  get 
her  is  more  than  you  can  do.  You  see  those  four 
men }  You  must  fight  and  conquer  them  before 
you  get  Glas  Gainach." 

The  old  man  spread  out  the  table-cloth,  and 
they  ate. 

"I  care  not,"  said  the  king's  son,  "what  comes. 
I  am  willing  to  lose  my  head  unless  I  can  bring 
back  the  cow." 

*' Well,"  said  the  old  man,  *'you  can  try." 

Next  morning  breakfast  was  ready  for  Cian; 
he  rose,  washed  his  hands  and  face,  prayed  for 
mercy  and  strength,  ate,  and  going  to  the  pole 
of  combat  gave  the  greatest  blow  ever  given 
before  on  it. 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach.    1 9 

*'Run  out,"  said  the  king  to  the  Tongue- 
speaker;     *'see   who   is  abroad." 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  the  Tongue- 
speaker  of  Cian. 

"The  king's  daughter  and  Glas  Gainach,"  said 
Cian. 

The  speaker  hurried  in  and  told  the  king. 
The  king  went  out  and  asked,  "  Are  you  the  man 
who  wants  my  daughter  and  Glas  Gainach.!* " 

"I  am,"  answered  Cian. 

"You  will  get  them  if  you  earn  them,"  said 
the  king. 

"If  I  do  not  earn  them,  I  want  neither  the 
daughter  nor  the  cow,"  replied  Cian. 

The  king  ordered  out  then  the  four  knights  of 
valor  to  kill  Cian.  He  was  as  well  trained  as 
they,  for  he  had  been  practising  from  his  twelfth 
year,  and  he  was  more  active.  They  were  at 
him  all  day,  and  he  at  them :  he  did  not  let  one 
blow  from  them  touch  his  body;  and  if  a  man 
were  to  go  from  the  Eastern  to  the  Western  World 
to  see  champions,  't  is  at  them  he  would  have 
to  look.  At  last,  when  Cian  was  hungry,  and 
late  evening  near,  he  sprang  with  the  strength 
of  his  limbs  out  of  the  joints  of  his  bones,  and 
rose  above  them,  and  swept  the  heads  of  the 
four  before  he  touched  ground. 

The  young  champion  was  tired  after  the  day. 


20  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

and  went  to  the  old  man.  The  old  man  asked, 
"  What  have  you  done  ? " 

"I  have  knocked  the  heads  off  the  four  cham- 
pions of  valor. " 

The  old  man  was  delighted  that  the  first  day 
had  thriven  in  that  way  with  Cian.  He  looked 
at  the  sword.  *'Oh,  there  is  no  danger,"  cried 
he ;  "  you  have  the  best  sword  I  have  ever  seen, 
and  you'll  need  it,  for  you'll  have  more  forces 
against  you  to-morrow." 

The  old  man  and  Cian  spent  the  night  in  three 
parts,  —  the  first  part  in  eating  and  drinking,  the 
second  in  telling  tales  and  singing  songs,  the 
third  in  sound  sleep. 

The  old  man  told  how  he  had  been  the  cham- 
pion of  Spain,  and  at  last  when  he  grew  old  the 
king  gave  him  that  house. 

Next  morning  Cian  washed  his  face  and  hands, 
prayed  for  help  and  mercy,  ate  breakfast  with  the 
old  man,  went  to  the  pole  of  combat,  and  gave  a 
greater  blow  still  than  before. 

*'What  do  you  want  this  day.?"  asked  the 
Tongue-speaker. 

"  I  want  three  hundred  men  on  my  right  hand, 
three  hundred  on  my  left,  three  hundred  after 
my  poll,  three  hundred  out  in  front  of  me. "  The 
king  sent  the  men  out  four  deep  through  four 
gates.     Cian  went  at  them,  and  as  they  came  he 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach.    2 1 

struck  the  heads  off  them;  and  though  they 
fought  bravely,  in  the  evening  he  had  the  heads 
off  the  twelve  hundred.  Cian  then  left  the  field, 
and  went  to  the  old  man.     • 

"What  have  you  done  after  the  day?"  asked 
the  old  man. 

"I  have  stretched  the  king's  forces." 

"You  '11  do  well,"  said  the  old  man. 

The  old  champion  put  the  cloth  on  the  table, 
and  there  was  food  for  a  king  or  a  champion. 
They  made  three  parts  of  that  night, — the  first 
for  eating  and  drinking,  the  second  for  telling 
tales  and  singing  songs,  the  third  for  sleep  and 
sound  rest. 

Next  morning,  Cian  gave  such  a  blow  on  the 
pole  of  combat  that  the  king  in  his  chamber  was 
frightened. 

"What  do  you  want  this  time.?"  asked  the 
Tongue-speaker. 

"  I  want  the  same  number  of  men  as  yesterday." 

The  king  sent  the  men  out ;  and  the  same  fate 
befell  them  as  the  other  twelve  hundred,  and  Cian 
went  home  to  the  old  man  untouched.  Next 
morning  Cian  made  small  bits  of  the  king's  pole 
of  combat. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  want  t  "  asked  the  Tongue- 
speaker. 

"Whatever  I  want,  I  don't  want  to  be  losing 
time.   Let  out  all  your  forces  against  me  at  once. " 


22  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

The  king  sent  out  all  the  forces  he  wished  that 
morning.  The  battle  was  more  terrible  than  all 
the  others  put  together;  but  Cian  went  through 
the  king's  forces,  and  at  sunset  not  a  man  of 
them  was  living,  and  he  let  no  one  nearer  than 
the  point  of  his  sword. 

"How  did  the  day  thrive  with  you.?"  asked 
the  old  man  when  Cian  came  in. 

"I  have  killed  all  the  king's  champions." 

"I  think,"  said  the  old  man,  "that  you  have 
the  last  of  his  forces  down  now;  but  what  you 
have  done  is  nothing  to  what  is  before  you.  The 
king  will  come  out  and  say  to-morrow  that  you 
will  not  get  the  daughter  with  Glas  Gainach  till 
you  eat  on  one  biscuit  what  butter  there  is  in 
his  storehouses,  and  they  are  all  full ;  you  are  to 
do  this  in  the  space  of  four  hours.  He  will  give 
you  the  biscuit.  Take  this  biscuit  from  me,  and 
do  you  hide  the  one  that  he  will  give  you,  — 
never  mind  it ;  put  as  much  as  you  will  eat  on 
this,  and  there'll  be  no  tidings  of  what  butter 
there  is  in  the  king's  stores  within  one  hour,  — 
it  will  vanish  and  disappear." 

Cian  was  very  glad  when  the  old  man  told  him 
what  to  do.  They  spent  that  night  as  they  had 
the  nights  before.  Next  morning  Cian  break- 
fasted, and  went  to  the  castle.  The  king  saw 
him  coming,  and  was  out  before  him. 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainack.    23 

"What  do  you  want  this  morning?"  asked  the 
king. 

"  I  want  your  daughter  and  Glas  Gainach,"  said 
Cian. 

"Well,"  said  the  king,  "you  will  not  get  my 
daughter  and  Glas  Gainach  unless  within  four 
hours  you  eat  on  this  biscuit  what  butter  there 
is  in  all  my  storehouses  in  Spain ;  and  if  you  do 
not  eat  the  butter,  your  head  will  be  on  a  spike 
this  evening." 

The  king  gave  him  the  biscuit.  Cian  went  to 
the  first  storehouse,  dropped  the  king's  biscuit 
into  his  pocket,  took  out  the  one  the  old  man 
had  given  him,  buttered  it,  and  began  to  eat. 
He  went  his  way  then,  and  in  one  hour  there  was 
neither  sign  nor  trace  of  butter  in  any  storehouse 
the  king  had. 

That  night  Cian  and  the  old  man  passed  the 
time  in  three  parts  as  usual.  "You  will  have 
hard  work  to-morrow,"  said  the  old  man,  "but  I 
will  tell  you  how  to  do  it.  The  king  will  say 
that  you  cannot  have  his  daughter  and  Glas 
Gainach  unless  within  four  hours  you  tan  all  the 
hides  in  Spain,  dry  and  green,  and  tan  them  as 
well  as  a  hand's  breadth  of  leather  that  he  will 
give  you.  Here  is  a  piece  of  leather  like  the 
piece  the  king  will  give.  Clap  this  on  the  first 
hide  you  come  to;  and  all   the   hides  in   Spain 


24  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

will  be  tanned  in  one  hour,  and  be  as  soft  and 
smooth  as  the  king's  piece." 

Next  morning  the  king  saw  Cian  coming,  and 
was  out  before  him.  "What  do  you  want  now?  " 
asked  the  king. 

"Your  daughter  and  Glas  Gainach,"  said  Cian. 

"You  are  not  to  get  my  daughter  and  Glas 
Gainach  unless  within  four  hours  you  tan  all  the 
dry  and  green  hides  in  Spain  to  be  as  soft  and 
smooth  as  this  piece;  and  if  you  do  not  tan  them, 
your  head  will  be  on  one  of  the  spikes  there 
behind  my  castle  this  evening." 

Cian  took  the  leather,  dropped  it  into  his 
pocket,  and,  taking  the  old  man's  piece,  placed 
it  on  the  first  hide  that  he  touched.  In  one  hour 
all  the  hides  in  Spain  were  tanned,  and  they  were 
as  soft  and  fine  as  the  piece  which  the  king  gave 
to  Cian. 

The  old  man  and  Cian  spent  this  night  as  they 
had  the  others. 

"You  will  have  the  hardest  task  of  all  to- 
morrow," said  the  old  man. 

"What  is  that.?  "  asked  the  young  champion. 

**The  king's  daughter  will  come  to  a  window  in 
the  highest  chamber  of  the  castle  with  a  ball  in 
her  hand:  she  will  throw  the  ball  through  the 
window,  and  you  must  catch  it  on  your  hurley, 
and   keep  it   up  during  two   hours  and  a   half; 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach,    25 

never  let  it  touch  the  ground.  There  will  be  a 
hundred  champions  striving  to  take  the  ball  from 
you,  but  follow  my  advice.  The  champions,  not 
knowing  where  the  ball  will  come  down  when  the 
king's  daughter  throws  it,  will  gather  near  the 
front  of  the  castle;  and  if  either  of  them  should 
get  the  ball,  he  might  keep  it  and  spoil  you.  Do 
you  stand  far  outside;  you  will  have  the  best 
chance.  I  don't  know,  though,  what  you  are  to 
do,  as  you  have  no  hurley,  but  wait.  In  my 
youth  I  was  great  to  play  at  hurley,  and  I  never 
met  a  man  that  could  match  me.  The  hurley  I 
had  then  must  be  in  this  house  somewhere." 

The  old  man  searched  the  house  through,  and 
where  did  he  find  the  hurley  but  up  in  the  loft, 
and  it  full  of  dust;  he  brought  it  down.  Cian 
swung  it,  knocked  the  dust  from  the  hurley,  and 
it  was  as  clean  as  when  made. 

"It  is  glad  I  am  to  find  this,  for  any  other 
hurley  in  the  kingdom  would  not  do  you,  but  only 
this  very  one.  This  hurley  has  the  virtue  in  it, 
and  only  for  that  it  would  not  do. " 

Both  were  very  glad,  and  made  three  parts  of 
that  night,  as  they  had  of  the  nights  before.  Next 
morning  Cian  rose,  washed  his  hands  and  face, 
and  begged  mercy  and  help  of  God  for  that  day. 

After  breakfast  he  went  to  the  king's  castle, 
and    soon   many   champions    came   around    him. 


26  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

The  king  was  outside  before  him,  and  asked  what 
he  wanted  that  day. 

"I  want  your  daughter  and  Glas  Gainach." 

"You  will  not  get  my  daughter  and  Glas 
Gainach  till  you  do  the  work  I  '11  give,  and  I  '11 
give  you  the  toughest  task  ever  put  before  you. 
At  midday,  my  daughter  will  throw  out  a  ball 
through  the  window,  and  you  must  keep  that  ball 
in  the  air  for  two  hours  and  a  half :  it  must  never 
touch  ground  in  that  time,  and  when  the  two 
hours  and  a  half  are  spent,  you  must  drive  it  in 
through  the  same  window  through  which  it  went 
out;  if  not,  I  will  have  your  head  on  a  spike  this 
evening. " 

"God  help  us!  "  said  Cian. 

All  the  champions  were  together  to  see  which 
man  would  get  the  ball  first;  but  Cian,  thinking 
of  the  old  man's  advice,  stood  outside  them  all. 
At  midday  the  king's  daughter  sent  out  the  ball 
through  the  highest  window;  and  to  whom  should 
it  go  but  to  Cian,  and  he  had  the  luck  of  getting 
it  first.  He  drove  the  ball  with  his  hurley,  and 
for  two  hours  and  a  half  he  kept  it  in  the  air,  and 
did  not  let  another  man  touch  it.  Then  he  gave 
it  a  directing  blow,  and  sent  it  in  through  the 
window  to  the  king's  daughter. 

The  king  watched  the  ball  closely;  and  when 
it  went  in,  he  ran  to  Cian,  shook  his  hand  warmly. 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach.    27 

and  never  stopped  till  he  took  him  to  his  daugh- 
ter's high  chamber.  She  kissed  him  with  joy 
and  great  gladness.  He  had  done  a  thing  that 
no  other  had  ever  done. 

"  I  have  won  the  daughter  and  Glas  Gainach 
from  you  now,"  said  Cian. 

"You  have,"  said  the  king;  "and  they  are  both 
yours.  I  give  them  with  all  my  heart.  You 
have  earned  them  well,  and  done  what  no  other 
man  could  do.  I  will  give  you  one-half  of  the 
kingdom  till  my  death,  and  all  of  it  from  that 
out." 

Cian  and  the  king's  daughter  were  married. 
A  great  feast  was  made,  and  a  command  given 
out  that  all  people  of  the  kingdom  must  come  to 
the  wedding.  Every  one  came;  and  the  wedding 
lasted  seven  days  and  nights,  to  the  pleasure  of 
all,  and  the  greatest  delight  of  the  king.  Cian 
remained  with  the  king;  and  after  a  time  his  wife 
had  a  son,  the  finest  and  fairest  child  ever  born 
in  Spain,  and  he  was  increasing  so  that  what  of 
him  did  n't  grow  in  the  day  grew  in  the  night, 
and  what  did  not  grow  in  the  night  grew  in  the 
day,  and  if  the  sun  shone  on  any  child,  it  shone 
on  that  one.  The  boy  was  called  Cormac  after 
Cian's  father,  Cormac  Mac  Art. 

Cian  remained  with  the  King  of  Spain  till 
Cormac' s  age  was  a  year  and  a  half.     Then  he 


28  Hero- Tales  of  Ireland. 

remembered  his  promise  to  Elin  Gow  to  bring 
back  Glas  Gainach. 

Cian  put  stores  in  the  vessel  in  which  he  had 
come,  and  placed  Glas  Gainach  inside,  firmly 
fettered.  He  gave  then  the  stem  of  his  ship  to 
the  ocean,  the  stern  to  land,  raised  the  limber 
sails;  and  there  was  the  work  of  a  hundred  men 
on  each  side,  though  Cian  did  the  work  all  alone. 
He  sailed  through  the  main  ocean  with  safety- 
till  he  came  to  Tramor,  —  the  best  landing-place 
in  Erin  at  that  time.  Glas  Gainach  was  brought 
to  shore  carefully,  and  Cian  went  on  his  way 
with  her  to  go  to  Elin  Gow's  house  at  Cluainte. 

There  was  no  highway  from  Tramor  but  the 
one ;  and  on  that  one  were  three  brothers,  three 
robbers,  the  worst  at  that  time  in  Erin.  These 
men  knew  all  kinds  of  magic,  and  had  a  rod  of 
enchantment.  Cian  had  brought  much  gold  with 
him  on  the  way,  coming  as  a  present  to  his  father. 

The  three  brothers  stopped  Cian,  saluted  him, 
and  asked  would  he  play  a  game.  He  said  that 
he  would.  They  played,  and  toward  evening  the 
robbers  had  the  gold  won ;  then  they  said  to 
Cian,  "Now  bet  the  cow  against  the  gold  you 
have  lost,  and  we  will  put  twice  as  much  with  it." 
He  laid  the  cow  as  a  wager,  and  lost  her. 

One  of  the  three  robber  brothers  struck  Cian 
with  the  rod  of  enchantment,  and  made  a  stone 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach.     29 

pillar  of  him,  and  made  an  earth  mound  of  Glas 
Gainach  with  another  blow.  The  two  remained 
there,  the  man  and  the  cow,  by  the  roadside. 

Cian's  son  Cormac  was  growing  to  manhood  in 
Spain,  and  heard  his  mother  and  grandfather  talk 
of  his  father,  and  he  thought  to  himself,  "There 
was  no  man  on  earth  that  could  fight  with  my 
father;  and  I  promise  now  to  travel  and  be  walk- 
ing always  till  I  find  out  the  place  where  he 
is,  living  or  dead." 

As  Cormac  had  heard  that  his  father  was  from 
Erin,  to  Erin  he  faced,  first  of  all.  The  mother 
was  grieved,  and  advised  him  not  to  go  wander- 
ing. "  Your  father  must  be  dead,  or  on  the  prom- 
ise he  made  me  he'd  be  here  long  ago." 

"There  is  no  use  in  talking;  the  world  will 
not  stop  me  till  I  know  what  has  happened  to 
my  father,"  said  Cormac. 

The  mother  could  not  stop  him;  she  gave  her 
consent.  He  turned  then  to  his  grandfather. 
"Make  ready  for  me  the  best  vessel  you  have," 
said  he.  The  vessel  was  soon  ready  with  provi- 
sions for  a  day  and  a  year,  and  gold  two  thousand 
pieces.  He  embarked,  and  went  through  the 
main  ocean  faster  than  his  father  had  gone  till 
he  sailed  into  Tramor.  He  was  on  his  way  walk- 
ing till  he  came  to  the  robbers  about  midday. 

They  saluted  him  kindly,  thinking  he  had  gold, 
and  asked,  "Will  you  play  a  game  with  us.? " 


30  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"I  will,"  said  Cormac;  "I  have  never  refused." 

They  played.  The  robbers  gained,  and  let 
him  gain;  they  were  at  him  the  best  of  the  day, 
till  they  won  the  last  piece  of  gold  of  his  two 
thousand  pieces. 

When  he  had  lost  what  he  had,  he  was  like  a 
wild  man,  and  knew  not  what  to  do  for  a  while. 
At  last  Cormac  said  to  himself,  "  It  is  an  old 
saying  never  contradicted  that  strength  will  get 
the  upper  hand  of  enchantment."  He  jumped 
then,  and  caught  two  of  the  three  robbers,  one 
in  each  hand,  and  set  them  under  his  two  knees. 
The  third  was  coming  to  help  the  two;  but 
Cormac  caught  that  one  with  his  hand  and  held 
the  three,  kept  them  there,  and  said,  "I  will 
knock  the  heads  off  every  man  of  you." 

"Do  not  do  that,"  begged  the  three.  "Who 
are  you.?     We  will  do  what  you  ask  of  us." 

"  I  am  seeking  my  father,  Cian  Mac  Cormac, 
who  left  Spain  eighteen  years  ago  with  Glas 
Gainach." 

"Spare  us,"  said  the  three  brothers ;  "we  will 
give  back  your  gold  and  raise  up  your  father  with 
Glas  Gainach." 

"How  can  ye  do  that,"  asked  Cormac,  "or 
where  is  my  father  .!*" 

"  He  is  that  pillar  there  opposite  " 

"And  where  is  Glas  Gainach.?" 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach.    31 

They  showed  him  the  earth  mound. 

"How  can  ye  bring  them  back  to  their  own 
shapes  ?  "  asked  Cormac. 

"We  have  a  rod  of  enchantment,"  said  the 
brothers;  and  they  told  where  the  rod  was. 
When  Cormac  had  a  true  account  of  the  rod, 
what  he  did  was  to  draw  out  his  sword  and  cut 
the  heads  off  the  three  brothers,  saying,  "Ye 
will  never  again  rob  any  man  who  walks  this 
way."  Cormac  then  found  the  rod  of  enchant- 
ment, went  to  the  pillar,  gave  it  a  blow,  and 
his  father  came  forth  as  well  and  healthy  as 
ever. 

"Who  are  you?  "  asked  Cian  of  Cormac. 

"I  am  your  son  Cormac." 

"Oh,  my  dear  son,  how  old  are  you.?" 

"I'm  in  my  twentieth  year,"  said  Cormac. 
"I  heard  my  mother  and  grandfather  talk  of  your 
bravery,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  to  go  in  search 
of  you,  and  be  walking  always  till  I  found  you. 
I  said  I  'd  face  Erin  first,  for  't  was  there  you 
went  with  Glas  Gainach.  I  landed  this  morning, 
met  these  three  robbers ;  they  won  all  my  gold. 
I  was  like  a  wild  man.  I  caught  them,  and  swore 
I  would  kill  them.  They  asked  who  was  I;  I 
told  them.  They  said  you  were  the  stone  pillar; 
that  they  had  a  rod  that  would  raise  you  up  with 
Glas  Gainach.     They  told  where  the  rod  was.     I 


32  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

took  the  heads  off  them,  and  raised  you  with  the 
rod." 

Now  Cormac  struck  the  earth  mound,  and  Glas 
Gainach  rose  up  as  well  as  before.  Everything 
was  now  in  its  own  place,  and  they  were  glad. 
Cian  would  not  stop  till  he  brought  Glas  Gainach 
to  Elin  Gow,  so  he  was  walking  night  and  day 
till  he  came  here  behind  to  Cluainte,  where 
Elin  Gow  was  living.  He  screeched  out  Elin 
Gow's  name,  told  him  to  come.  He  came  out; 
and  when  he  saw  Cian  and  Glas  Gainach  he 
came  near  fainting  from  joy.  Cian  put  Glas 
Gainach's  horn  in  his  hand,  and  said,  "  I  wished 
to  keep  the  promise  I  made  when  you  spared 
my  head ;  and  it  was  gentle  of  you  to  spare  it, 
for  great  was  the  loss  that  I  caused  you ; "  and 
he  told  all  that  had  happened,  —  how  he  had 
won  and  lost  Glas  Gainach,  and  lost  her  through 
the  robbers. 

"Who  is  this  brave  youthful  champion  with 
you.?  "asked  Elin  Gow. 

"  This  is  my  son,  and  but  for  him  I  *d  be  for- 
ever where  the  three  robbers  put  me.  I  was 
eighteen  years  where  they  left  me;  but  for  that, 
the  cow  would  have  been  with  you  long  ago. 
What  were  you  doing  all  this  time.?"  asked 
Cian  of  Elin  Gow. 

"  Making  swords  and  weapons,  but  I  could  not 
have  lived  without  the  support  of  your  father." 


Elin  Gow  and  the  Cow  Glas  Gainach.   33 

"He  promised  me  that,"  said  Cian,  "before  I 
left  Erin.     I  knew  that  he  would  help  you.'* 

"Oh,  he  did!  "  said  Elin  Gow. 

The  father  and  son  left  good  health  with  Elin 
Gow,  and  never  stopped  nor  stayed  till  they 
reached  the  castle  of  Cian's  father.  The  old 
king  had  thought  that  Cian  was  dead,  as  he  had 
received  no  account  of  him  for  so  many  years. 
Great  was  his  joy  and  gladness,  and  great  was  the 
feast  that  he  made. 

Cian  remained  for  a  month,  and  then  went  to 
the  house  of  the  robbers,  took  out  all  its  treas- 
ures, locked  up  the  place  in  the  way  that  no  man 
could  open  it;  then  he  gave  one-half  his  wealth 
to  his  father.  He  took  the  rest  to  Spain  with 
his  son,  and  lived  there. 

Elin  Gow  had  grown  old,  and  he  was  in  dread 
that  he  had  not  the  strength  to  follow  Glas 
Gainach,  and  sent  a  message  to  Caol  na  Crua, 
the  fleetest  champion  in  Kerry.  Caol  came. 
Elin  Gow  agreed  to  pay  him  his  price  for  mind- 
ing the  cow,  and  was  glad  to  get  him.  He  told 
Caol  carefully  how  to  herd  the  cow.  She 
travelled  as  before,  and  was  always  at  home 
before  nightfall. 

Glas  Gainach  had  milk  for  all;  and  when  any 
one  came  to  milk  her  she  would  stop,  and  there 
never  was  a  vessel  that   she  did  not  fill.     One 

3 


34  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland. 

woman  heard  this;  and  once  when  Glas  Gainach 
was  near  a  river,  the  woman  brought  a  sieve 
and  began  to  milk.  She  milked  a  long  time. 
At  last  the  cow  saw  the  river  white  with  milk; 
then  she  raised  her  leg,  gave  the  woman  a  kick 
on  the  forehead,  and  killed  her. 

Caol  na  Crua  was  doing  well,  minding  the 
cow  all  the  time,  till  one  evening  Glas  Gainach 
walked  between  the  two  pillars  where  she  used 
to  scratch  herself;  when  she  was  full,  her  sides 
would  touch  both  pillars.  This  evening  she 
bellowed,  and  Elin  Gow  heard  her.  Instead  of 
going  home  then,  she  went  down  to  a  place 
northwest  of  Cluainte,  near  a  ruin;  she  used  to 
drink  there  at  times,  but  not  often.  Caol  na 
Crua  did  not  know  this.  He  thought  she  was 
going  into  the  sea,  and  caught  her  tail  to  hold 
her  back.  With  that,  instead  of  drinking,  she 
went  straight  toward  the  water.  Caol  tried  to 
hold  her.  She  swept  him  along  and  went 
through  the  ocean,  he  keeping  the  grip  he  had, 
and  she  going  with  such  swiftness  that  he  was 
lying  flat  on  the  sea  behind  her;  and  she  took 
him  with  her  to  Spain  and  went  to  the  king,  and 
very  joyful  was  the  king,  for  they  were  in  great 
distress  for  butter  while  Glas  Gainach  was  gone. 


MOR'S  SONS  AND  THE  HERDER  FROM 
UNDER  THE  SEA. 

IN  old  times,  there  was  a  great  woman  in  the 
southwest  of  Erin,  and  she  was  called  Mor. 
This  woman  lived  at  Dun  Quin;  and  when  she 
came  to  that  place  the  first  time  with  her  hus- 
band Lear,  she  was  very  poor.  People  say  that  it 
was  by  the  water  she  came  to  Dan  Quin.  What- 
ever road  she  took,  all  she  had  came  by  the  sea, 
and  went  the  same  way. 

She  built  a  small  house,  and  their  property  was 
increasing  little  by  little.  After  a  while  she 
had  three  sons,  and  these  grew  to  be  very  fine 
boys  and  then  strong  young  men. 

The  two  elder  sons  set  out  to  try  their  for- 
tunes; they  got  a  vessel,  sailed  away  on  the  sea, 
and  never  stopped  nor  halted  till  they  came  to 
the  Kingdom  of  the  White  Strand,  in  the  eastern 
world.  There  they  stayed  for  seven  years,  goal- 
ing  and  sporting  with  the  people. 

The  king  of  that  country  wished  to  keep  them 
forever,  because  they  were  strong  men,  and  had 
risen  to  be  great  champions. 


36  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

The  youngest  son  remained  at  home  all  the 
time,  growing  to  be  as  good  a  man  as  his 
brothers.  One  day  he  went  out  to  look  at  a 
large  field  of  wheat  which  his  mother  had,  and 
found  it  much  injured. 

"Well,  mother,"  said  he  when  he  came  in,  "all 
our  field  is  destroyed  by  something.  I  don't 
know  for  the  world  what  is  it.  Something  comes 
in,  tramples  the  grain  and  eats  it. " 

"Watch  the  field  to-night,  my  son,  and  see 
what  is  devouring  our  grain." 

"Well,  mother,  boil  something  for  me  to  eat 
to  give  me  strength  and  good  luck  for  the 
night." 

Mor  baked  a  loaf,  and  boiled  some  meat  for  her 
son,  and  told  him  to  watch  well  till  the  hour  of 
night,  when  perhaps  the  cattle  would  be  before 
him. 

He  was  watching  and  looking  there,  till  all  at 
once,  a  little  after  midnight,  he  saw  the  field 
full  of  cattle  of  different  colors,  —  beautiful  col- 
ors, blue,  and  red,  and  white.  He  was  looking  at 
them  for  a  long  time,  they  were  so  beautiful. 
The  young  man  wanted  to  drive  the  beasts  home 
with  him,  to  show  his  mother  the  cattle  that  were 
spoiling  the  grain.  He  had  them  out  of  the  field 
on  the  road  when  a  herder  stood  before  him,  and 
said,  "Leave  the  cattle  behind  you." 


Mors  Sons  and  the  Herder,  37 

"I  will  not,"  said  Mor's  son;  "I  will  drive 
them  home  to  my  mother. " 

"I  will  not  let  them  with  you,"  said  the 
herder. 

"I'll  carry  them  in  spite  of  you,"  replied 
Mor's  son. 

He  had  a  good  strong  green  stick,  and  so  had 
the  herder;  the  two  faced  each  other,  and  began 
to  fight.  The  herder  was  too  strong  for  Mor's 
son,  and  he  drove  off  the  cattle  into  the  sea. 

"Oh,"  said  the  herder,  as  he  was  going,  "your 
mother  did  not  boil  your  meat  or  bake  your  loaf 
rightly  last  night;  she  gave  too  much  fire  to  the 
loaf  and  the  meat,  took  the  strength  out  of  them. 
You  might  do  something  if  your  mother  knew 
how  to  cook." 

When  Mor's  son  went  home,  his  mother  asked, 
"  Did  you  see  any  cattle,  my  son  ?  " 

"  I  did,  mother;  the  field  was  full  of  them.  And 
when  I  was  bringing  the  herd  home  with  me  to 
show  you,  a  man  stood  there  on  the  road  to  take 
the  beasts  from  me;  we  fought,  and  when  he 
beat  me  and  was  driving  the  cattle  into  the  sea, 
what  did  he  say  but  that  you  boiled  the  meat  and 
baked  the  loaf  too  much  last  night.  To-night, 
when  you  boil  my  meat,  do  not  give  it  half  the 
fire;  leave  all  the  strength  in  the  meat  and  the 
loaf." 


38  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"I  will,"  said  the  mother. 

When  night  came,  the  dinner  was  ready.  The 
young  man  ate  twice  as  much  of  the  meat  and 
the  loaf  as  the  evening  before.  About  the  same 
hour,  just  after  midnight,  he  went  to  the  field, 
for  he  knew  now  what  time  the  cattle  would  be 
in  it.  The  field  was  full  of  the  same  cattle  of 
beautiful  colors. 

Mor's  son  drove  the  beasts  out,  and  was  going 
to  drive  them  home,  when  the  herder,  who  was 
not  visible  hitherto,  came  before  him  and  said, 
"I  will  not  let  the  cattle  with  you." 

"I  will  take  them  in  spite  of  you,"  replied 
Mor's  son. 

The  two  began  to  fight,  and  Mor's  son  was 
stronger  this  time. 

"Why  do  you  not  keep  your  cattle  out  of  my 
wheat  ?  "  asked  he  of  the  herder. 

"Because  I  know  very  well  that  you  are  not 
able  to  take  them  with  you." 

"  If  I  am  not  able  to  take  the  cattle,  you  may 
have  them  and  the  wheat  as  well,"  said  Mor's 
son. 

The  herder  was  driving  the  cattle  one  way,  and 
Mor's  son  was  driving  them  the  opposite  way; 
and  after  they  had  done  that  for  a  while,  they 
faced  each  other  and  began  to  fight  again. 

Mor's  son  was  doubly  angry  at  the  herder  this 


Mors  Sons  and  the  Herder,  39 

night  for  the  short  answers  that  he  gave.  They 
fought  two  hours;  then  the  herder  got  the  upper 
hand.  Mor's  son  was  sorry;  and  the  herder,  as 
he  drove  the  cattle  to  the  sea,  called  out,  "  Your 
mother  gave  too  much  fire  to  the  meat  and  the 
loaf;  still  you  are  stronger  to-night  than  you  were 
last  night." 

Mor's  son  went  home. 

"Well,  my  son,"  asked  the  mother,  "have  you 
any  news  of  the  cattle  and  the  herder.?  " 

"I  have  seen  them,  mother." 

"And  what  did  the  herder  do.?  " 

"  He  was  too  strong  for  me  a  second  time,  and 
drove  the  cattle  into  the  sea." 

"  What  are  we  to  do  now  t  "  asked  the  mother. 
"If  he  keeps  on  in  this  way,  we  '11  soon  be  poor, 
and  must  leave  the  country  altogether. " 

"  The  herder  said,  as  he  drove  the  cattle  away, 
*  Your  mother  gave  too  much  fire  to  the  meat  and 
the  loaf;  still  you  are  stronger  to-night  than  you 
were  last  night. '  Well,  mother,  if  you  gave  too 
much  fire  to  my  dinner  last  night,  give  but  little 
to-night,  and  I  will  leave  my  life  outside  or  have 
the  cattle  home  with  me  this  time.  If  I  do  not 
beat  him,  he  may  have  the  wheat  as  well  as  the 
cattle  after  to-night." 

Mor  prepared  the  dinner;  and  this  time  she 
barely  let  the  water  on  the  meat  begin  to  bubble, 
and  to  the  bread  she  gave  but  one  roast. 


40  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland, 

He  ate  and  drank  twice  as  much  as  the  day 
before.  The  dinner  gave  him  such  strength  that 
he  said,  "I  '11  bring  the  cattle  to-night." 

He  went  to  the  field,  and  soon  after  midnight 
it  was  full  of  cattle  of  the  same  beautiful  colors; 
the  grain  was  spoiled  altogether.  He  drove  the 
cattle  to  the  road,  and  thought  he  had  them.  He 
got  no  sight  of  the  herder  till  every  beast  was 
outside  the  field,  and  he  ready  to  drive  them 
home  to  his  mother.  Then  the  herder  stood 
before  him,  and  began  to  drive  the  cattle  toward 
the  sea. 

"You  '11  not  take  them  this  time,"  said  Mor's 
son. 

"I  will,"  said  the  herder. 

They  began  to  fight,  caught  each  other, 
dragged,  and  struggled  long,  and  in  the  heel  of 
the  battle  Mor's  son  was  getting  the  better  of 
the  herder. 

"I  think  that  you  '11  have  the  upper  hand  of 
me  this  time,"  said  the  herder;  "and  'tis  my 
own  advice  I  blame  for  it.  You  '11  take  the 
cattle  to-night  in  spite  of  me.  Let  me  go  now, 
and  take  them  away  with  you." 

"I  will,"  said  Mor's  son.  "I  will  take  them 
to  the  house,  and  please  my  mother." 

He  drove  the  cattle  home,  and  said  to  his 
mother,  *'  I  have  the  cattle  here  now  for  you, 
and  do  whatever  you  wish  with  them." 


Mors  Sons  and  the  Herder.  41 

The  herder  followed  Mor's  son  to  the  house. 

"Why  did  you  destroy  all  my  grain  with  your 
cattle  ?  "  asked  Mor. 

"Let  the  cattle  go  with  me  now,  and  I  promise 
that  after  to-night  your  field  of  wheat  will  be  the 
best  in  the  country." 

"What  are  we  to  do?  "  asked  Mor  of  the  son. 
"Is  it  to  let  the  cattle  go  with  him  for  the 
promise  he  gives  ?  " 

"  I  will  do  what  you  say,  mother.  '* 

"We  will  give  him  the  cattle,"  said  Mor. 

"Well,"  said  the  son  to  the  herder,  "my 
mother  is  going  to  give  you  the  cattle  for  the 
promise  that  our  grain  will  be  the  best  in  the 
country  when  't  is  reaped.  We  ought  to  be 
friends  after  the  fighting;  and  now  take  your 
cattle  home  with  you,  though  you  vexed  and 
hurt  me  badly." 

"I  am  very  grateful  to  you,"  said  the  herder 
to  Mor's  son,  "and  for  your  kindness  you  will 
have  plenty  of  cattle  and  plenty  of  wheat  before 
you  die,  and  seeing  that  you  are  such  a  good  man 
I  will  give  you  a  chance  before  I  leave  you. 
The  King  of  Mayo  has  an  only  daughter;  the 
fairies  will  take  her  from  him  to-morrow.  They 
will  bring  her  through  Daingean,  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  four  men,  to  the  fairy  fort  at  Cnoc  na 
Hown.     Be  at  the  cross-roads  about  two  o'clock 


42  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

to-morrow  night.  Jump  up  quickly,  put  your 
shoulder  under  the  coffin,  the  four  men  will 
disappear  and  leave  the  coffin  on  the  road;  do 
you  bring  what's  in  the  coffin  home  with  you." 

Mor's  son  followed  the  herder's  directions. 
He  went  toward  Daingean  in  the  night,  for  he 
knew  the  road  very  well.  After  midnight,  he 
was  at  the  cross-roads,  waiting  and  hidden. 
Soon  he  saw  the  coffin  coming  out  against  him, 
and  the  four  men  carrying  it  on  their  shoulders. 

The  young  man  put  his  shoulder  under  the 
coffin;  the  four  dropped  it  that  minute,  and 
disappeared.  Mor's  son  took  the  lid  off  the 
coffin;  and  what  did  he  find  lying  inside  but  a 
beautiful  woman,  warm  and  ruddy,  sleeping  as  if 
at  home  in  her  bed.  He  took  out  the  young 
woman,  knowing  well  that  she  was  alive,  and 
placing  her  on  his  back,  left  the  coffin  behind 
at  the  wayside. 

The  woman  could  neither  walk  nor  speak,  and 
he  brought  her  home  to  his  mother.  Mor  opened 
the  door,  and  he  put  the  young  woman  down  in 
the  corner. 

"What's  this  you  brought  me.?  What  do  I 
want  with  the  like  of  her  in  the  house.?" 

"Never  mind,  mother;  it  may  be  our  luck  that 
will  come  with  her." 

They  gave  her  every  kind  of  drink  and  nourish- 


Mors  Sons  and  the  Herder,  43 

ing  food,  for  she  was  very  weak;  when  daylight 
came,  she  was  growing  stronger,  and  could  speak. 
The  first  words  she  said  were,  "  I  am  no  good  to 
you  in  the  way  that  I  am  now ;  but  if  you  are  a 
brave  man,  you  will  meet  with  your  luck  to-mor- 
row night.  All  the  fairies  will  be  gathered  at  a 
feast  in  the  fort  at  Cnoc  na  Hown ;  there  will  be 
a  horn  of  drink  on  the  table.  If  you  bring  that 
horn,  and  I  get  three  sips  from  it  (if  you  have  the 
heart  of  a  brave  man  you  will  go  to  the  fort,  seize 
the  horn,  and  bring  it  here),  I  shall  be  as  well 
and  strong  as  ever,  and  you  will  be  as  rich  your- 
self as  any  king  in  Erin." 

"  I  have  stood  in  great  danger  before  from  the 
like  of  them,"  replied  Mor's  son.  "I  will  make 
a  trial  of  this  work,  too. " 

"Between  one  and  two  o'clock  in  the  night 
you  must  go  to  the  fort,"  said  the  young  woman, 
"and  you  must  carry  a  stick  of  green  rowan  wood 
in  your  hand." 

The  young  man  went  to  the  fairy  fort,  keeping 
the  stick  carefully  and  firmly  in  his  hand.  At 
parting,  the  young  woman  warned  him,  saying, 
"They  can  do  you  no  harm  in  the  world  while 
you  have  the  stick,  but  without  the  stick  there 
is  no  telling  what  they  might  do." 

When  Mor's  son  came  to  Cnoc  na  Hown,  and 
went  in  through  the  gate  of  the  fairy  fort,  he  saw 


44  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

a  house  and  saw  many  lights  flashing  in  different 
places.  In  the  kitchen  was  a  great  table  with  all 
sorts  of  food  and  drink,  and  around  it  a  crowd  of 
small  men.  When  he  was  making  toward  the 
table,  he  heard  one  of  the  men  say, — 

"Very  little  good  will  the  girl  be  to  Mor's 
son.  He  may  keep  her  in  the  corner  by  his 
mother.  There  will  be  neither  health  nor 
strength  in  her;  but  if  she  had  three  drinks  out 
of  this  horn  on  the  table  here,  she  would  be  as 
well  as  ever." 

He  faced  them  then,  and,  catching  the  horn, 
said,   "  She  will  not  be  long  without  the  drink !  " 

All  the  little  men  looked  at  one  another  as  he 
hurried  through  the  door  and  disappeared.  He 
had  the  stick,  and  they  could  not  help  themselves ; 
but  all  began  to  scold  one  another  for  not  having 
the  courage  to  seize  him  and  take  the  horn  from 
him. 

Mor's  son  reached  home  with  the  horn. 
"Well,  mother,"  said  he,  "we  have  the  cure 
now;"  and  he  didn't  put  the  horn  down  till  the 
young  woman  had  taken  three  drinks  out  of  it, 
and  then  she  said,  — 

"  You  are  the  best  champion  ever  born  in  Erin, 
and  now  take  the  horn  back  to  Cnoc  na  Hown ; 
I  am  as  well  and  hearty  as  ever. " 

He  took  the  horn  back  to  the  fairy  fort,  placed 


HE    HURRIED    THROUGH    THE    DOOR    AND    DISAPPEARED. 
Page  44. 


Mors  Sons  and  the  Herder.  45 

it  on  the  table,  and  hurried  home.  The  fairies 
looked  at  one  another,  but  not  a  thing  could  they 
do,  for  the  stick  was  in  his  hand  yet. 

"The  woman  is  as  well  as  ever  now,"  said  one 
of  the  fairies  when  Mor's  son  had  gone,  "and  we 
have  lost  her;"  and  they  began  to  scold  one 
another  for  letting  the  horn  go  with  him.  But 
that  was  all  the  good  it  did  them;  the  young 
woman  was  cured. 

Next  day  the  young  woman  said  to  Mor's  son, 
"  I  am  well  now,  and  I  will  give  you  a  token  to 
take  to  my  father  and  mother  in  Mayo." 

"  I  will  not  take  the  token,"  said  he;  "I  will  go 
and  seek  out  your  father,  and  bring  back  some 
token  to  you  first." 

He  went  away,  searched  and  inquired  till  he 
made  out  the  king's  castle;  and  when  he  was 
there,  he  went  around  all  the  cattle  and  went 
away  home  to  his  mother  at  Tivorye  with  every 
four-footed  beast  that  belonged  to  the  king. 

"Well,  mother,"  said  he,  "it  is  the  luck  we 
have  now;  and  we  '11  have  the  whole  parish  under 
stock  from  this  out. " 

The  young  woman  was  not  satisfied  yet,  and 
said,  "You  must  go  and  carry  a  token  to  my 
father  and  mother." 

"Wait  awhile,  and  be  quiet,"  answered  Mor's 
son.     "  Your  father  will  send  herders  to  hunt  for 


46  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

the  stock,  and  these  men  will  have  token  enough 
when  they  come." 

Well,  sure  enough,  the  king's  men  hunted  over 
hills  and  valleys,  found  that  the  cattle  had  been 
one  day  in  such  a  place  and  another  day  in 
another  place;  and  they  followed  on  till  at  length 
and  at  last  they  came  near  Mor's  house,  and 
there  they  saw  the  cattle  grazing  above  on  the 
mountain. 

There  was  no  house  in  Dun  Quin  at  that  time 
but  Mor's  house,  and  there  was  not  another  in 
it  for  many  a  year  after. 

"We  will  send  a  man  down  to  that  house," 
said  the  herders,  "to  know  can  we  get  any 
account  of  what  great  champion  it  was  that 
brought  the  cattle  all  this  distance." 

What  did  the  man  see  when  he  came  near  the 
house  but  his  own  king's  daughter.  He  knew 
the  young  woman,  and  was  struck  dumb  when  he 
saw  her,  and  she  buried  two  months  before  at  her 
father's  castle  in  Mayo.  He  had  no  power  to 
say  a  word,  he  forgot  where  he  was,  or  why  he 
was  sent.  At  last  he  turned,  ran  up  to  the  men 
above  on  the  mountain,  and  said,  "The  king's 
daughter  is  living  below  in  that  house." 

The  herders  would  not  believe  a  word  he  said, 
but  at  last  three  other  men  went  down  to  see  for 
themselves.     They  knew  the  king's  daughter,  and 


Mors  Sons  and  the  Herder.  47 

were  frightened;  but  they  had  more  courage,  and 
after  a  while  asked,  "Where  is  the  man  that 
brought  the  cattle?  " 

"He  is  sleeping,"  said  the  king's  daughter. 
"He  is  tired  after  the  long  journey;  if  you  wish, 
I  will  wake  him." 

She  woke  Mor's  son,  and  he  came  out. 

"What  brought  you  here?"  asked  he  of  the 
men. 

"We  came  looking  for  our  master's  cattle; 
they  are  above  on  the  mountain,  driven  to  this 
place  by  you,  as  it  seems.  We  have  travelled 
hither  and  over  till  we  found  them." 

"Go  and  tell  your  master,"  said  Mor's  son, 
"that  I  brought  the  cattle;  that  Lear  is  my 
father,  and  Mor  is  my  mother,  and  that  I  have 
his  daughter  here  with  me." 

"There  is  no  use  in  sending  them  with  that 
message,"  said  the  young  woman;  "my  father 
would  not  believe  them." 

"Tell  your  master,"  said  Mor's  son,  "that  it 
is  I  who  brought  the  cattle,  and  that  I  have  his 
daughter  here  in  good  health,  and  't  is  by  my 
bravery  that  I  saved  her." 

"  If  they  go  to  my  father  with  that  message,  he 
will  kill  them.  I  will  give  them  a  token  foi 
him." 

"What  token  will  you  give?" 


48  Hero-Tales  0/  Ireland. 

"  I  will  give  them  this  ring  with  my  name  and 
my  father's  name  and  my  mother's  name  written 
inside  on  it.  Do  not  give  the  ring,"  said  she  to 
the  men,  "till  ye  tell  my  father  all  ye  have  seen; 
if  he  will  not  believe  you,  then  give  the  ring." 

Away  went  the  men,  and  not  a  foot  of  the 
cattle  did  they  take;  and  if  all  the  men  in  Mayo 
had  come,  Mor's  son  would  not  have  let  the 
cattle  go  with  them,  for  he  had  risen  to  be  the 
best  champion  in  Erin.  The  men  went  home  by 
the  straightest  roads;  and  they  were  not  half  the 
time  going  to  the  king's  castle  that  they  were  in 
finding  the  cattle. 

On  the  way  home,  one  man  said  to  the  others, 
"  It  is  a  great  story  we  have  and  good  news  to 
tell;  the  king  will  make  rich  men  of  us  for  the 
tidings  we  are  taking  him." 

When  they  reached  the  king's  castle,  there  was 
a  welcome  before  them. 

"  Have  ye  any  news  for  me  after  the  long 
journey.?"  asked  the  king. 

"We  found  your  daughter  with  a  man  in 
Tivorye  in  the  southwest  of  Erin,  and  all  your 
cattle  are  with  the  same  man." 

•'  Ye  may  have  found  my  cattle,  but  ye  could 
not  get  a  sight  of  my  daughter." 

"  If  you  do  not  believe  us  in  this  way,  you  will 
in  another.     We  may  as  well  tell  you  all./' 


Mors  Sons  and  the  Herder,  49 

"Ye  may  as  well  keep  silent.      I'll   not  be- 
lieve a  word  of  what  ye  say  about  my  daughter." 

"I  will  give  you  a  token  from  your  daughter," 
said  one  of  the  men,  pulling  out  a  purse.  He 
had  the  purse  rolled  carefully  in  linen.  (And  he 
did  well,  for  the  fairies  cannot  touch  linen,  and 
it  is  the  best  guard  in  the  world  against  them. 
Linen  thread,  too,  is  strong  against  the  fairies. 
A  man  might  travel  all  the  fairy  forts  of  the 
world  if  he  had  a  skein  of  flax  thread  around  his 
neck,  and  a  steel  knife  with  a  black  handle  in 
his  pocket.)  He  took  out  the  ring,  and  gave  it 
to  the  king.  The  king  sent  for  the  queen.  She 
came.  He  put  the  ring  in  her  hand  and  said, 
"  Look  at  this,  and  see  do  you  know  it. " 

"I  do  indeed,"  said  she;  "and  how  did  you 
come  by  this  ring? " 

The  king  told  the  whole  story  that  the  men 
had  brought. 

"This  is  our  daughter's  ring.  It  was  on  her 
finger  when  we  buried  her,"  said  the  queen. 

"It  was,"  said  the  king,  "and  what  the  men 
say  must  be  true."  He  would  have  killed  them 
but  for  the  ring. 

On  the  following  morning,  the  king  and  queen 
set  out  with  horses,  and  never  stopped  till  they 
came  to  Tivorye  (Mor's  house).  The  king  knew 
the  cattle  the  moment  he  saw  them  above  on  the 

4 


50  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

mountain,  and  then  he  was  sure  of  the  rest. 
They  were  sorry  to  find  the  daughter  in  such  a 
small  cabin,  but  glad  that  she  was  alive.  The 
guide  was  sent  to  the  house  to  say  the  king  and 
queen  were  coming. 

''Your  father  and  mother  are  coming,"  said  he 
to  the  king's  daughter. 

She  made  ready,  and  was  standing  in  the  door 
before  them.  The  father  and  mother  felt  weak 
and  faint  when  they  looked  at  her;  but  she  ran 
out,  took  them  by  the  hands,  and  said,  "Have 
courage;  I  am  alive  and  well,  no  ghost,  and  ye 
ought  to  thank  the  man  who  brought  me  away 
from  my  enemies." 

"Bring  him  to  us,"  said  they;  "we  wish  to  see 
him." 

"He  is  asleep,  but  I  will  wake  him." 

"Wake  him,"  said  the  father,  "for  he  is  the 
man  we  wish  to  see  now." 

The  king's  daughter  roused  Mor's  son,  and 
said,  "My  father  and  mother  are  above  in  the 
kitchen.     Go  quickly,  and  welcome  them." 

He  welcomed  them  heartily,  and  he  was  ten 
times  gladder  to  see  them  than  they  were  to 
see  him.  They  inquired  then  how  he  got  the 
daughter,  and  she  buried  at  home  two  months 
before.  And  he  told  the  whole  story  from  first 
to  last  :    How  the  herder  from  the  sea  had  told 


Mors  Sons  and  the  Herder.  51 

him,  and  how  he  had  saved  her  at  Cnoc  na  Hown. 
They  had  a  joyful  night  in  the  cabin  after  the 
long  journey,  and  anything  that  would  be  in  any 
king's  castle  they  had  in  Mor's  house  that  night, 
for  the  king  had  plenty  of  everything  with  him 
from  the  castle.  Next  morning  the  king  and 
queen  were  for  taking  the  daughter  home  with 
them ;  but  she  refused  firmly,  and  said,  — 

"I  will  never  leave  the  man  who  saved  me 
from  such  straits.  I  '11  never  marry  any  man  but 
him,  for  I  'm  sure  that  he  is  the  best  hero  ever 
reared  in  Erin,  after  the  courage  that  he  has 
shown. " 

"  We  will  never  carry  you  away,  since  you  like 
him  so  well;  and  we  will  send  him  twice  as  many 
cattle,  and  money  besides." 

They  brought  in  the  priest  of  whatever  religion 
was  in  it  at  the  time  (to  be  sure,  it  was  not 
Catholic  priests  were  in  Erin  in  those  days),  and 
Mor's  son  and  the  king's  daughter  were  married. 
The  father  and  mother  left  her  behind  in  Tivorye, 
and  enjoyed  themselves  on  the  way  home,  they 
were  that  glad  after  finding  the  daughter  alive. 

When  Mor's  son  was  strong  and  rich,  he  could 
not  be  satisfied  till  he  found  his  two  brothers, 
who  had  left  home  years  before,  and  were  in  the 
kingdom  of  the  White  Strand,  though  he  did  not 
know  it.     He  made  up  a  fine  ship  then,  and  got 


52  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

provisions  for  a  day  and  a  year,  went  into  it,  set 
sail,  and  went  on  over  the  wide  ocean  till  he 
came  to  the  chief  port  of  the  King  of  the  White 
Strand.  He  was  seven  days  on  the  water;  and 
when  he  came  in  on  the  strand,  the  king  saw  him, 
and  thought  that  he  must  be  a  brave  man  to 
come  alone  on  a  ship  to  that  kingdom. 

"That  must  be  a  great  hero,"  said  he  to  his 
men.  "  Let  some  of  the  best  of  you  go  down 
and  knock  a  trial  out  of  him  before  he  comes  to 
the  castle." 

The  king  was  so  in  dread  of  the  stranger  that 
out  of  all  the  men  he  selected  Mor's  two  elder 
sons.  They  were  the  best  and  strongest  men  he 
had,  and  he  sent  them  to  know  what  activity  was 
in  the  new-comer.  They  took  two  hurleys  for 
themselves  and  one  for  the  stranger,  and  a  ball. 

The  second  brother  challenged  the  stranger  to 
play.  When  the  day  was  closing,  the  stranger 
was  getting  the  upper  hand.  They  invited  him 
to  the  king's  castle  for  the  night,  and  the  elder 
brother  challenged  him  to  play  a  game  on  the 
following  day. 

"How  did  the  trial  turn  out.?  '*  asked  the  king 
of  the  elder  brother. 

"  I  sent  my  brother  to  try  him,  and  it  was  the 
strange  champion  that  got  the  upper  hand. " 

Mor's  son  remained  at  the  castle  that  night. 


Mors  Sons  and  the  Herder,  53 

and  found  good  welcome  and  cheer.  He  ate 
breakfast  next  morning,  and  a  good  breakfast  it 
was.  They  took  three  hurleys  then  and  a  ball, 
and  went  to  the  strand.  Said  the  eldest  brother 
to  the  second,  "Stop  here  and  look  at  us,  and 
see  what  the  trial  will  be  between  us." 

They  gave  the  stranger  a  choice  of  the  hurleys, 
and  the  game  began.  It  couldn't  be  told  who 
was  the  better  of  the  two  brothers.  The  king 
was  in  dread  that  the  stranger  would  injure  him- 
self and  his  men.  In  the  middle  of  the  day, 
when  it  could  not  be  determined  who  was  the 
better  man,  the  elder  brother  said,  "  We  will  try 
wrestling  now,  to  know  which  of  us  can  win  that 
way. " 

"I  'm  well  satisfied,"  said  Mor's  son. 

They  began  to  wrestle.  The  elder  brother 
gave  Mor's  son  several  knocks,  and  he  made 
several  turns  on  the  elder. 

"Well,  if  I  live,"  said  the  elder,  "you  are  my 
brother;  for  when  we  used  to  wrestle  at  home,  I 
had  the  knocks,  and  you  had  the  turns.  You  are 
my  younger  brother,  for  no  man  was  able  to 
wrestle  with  me  when  I  was  at  Tivorye  but 
you." 

They  knew  each  other  then,  and  embraced. 
Each  told  his  story. 

"Come  home  with  me  now,"  said  the  youngest 


54  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

brother,  "and  see  our  mother.  I  am  as  rich  as 
any  king,  and  can  give  you  good  entertainment." 

The  three  went  to  the  King  of  the  White 
Strand,  and  told  him  everything.  The  eldest 
and  second  brother  asked  leave  of  him  to  go 
home  to  see  their  father  and  mother.  The  king 
gave  them  leave,  and  filled  their  vessel  with 
every  kind  of  good  food,  and  the  two  promised 
to  come  back. 

The  three  brothers  set  sail  then,  and  after 
seven  days  came  in  on  the  strand  near  Tivorye. 
The  two  found  their  brother  richer  than  any  king 
in  any  country.  They  were  enjoying  themselves 
at  home  for  a  long  time,  having  everything  that 
their  hearts  could  wish,  when  one  day  above 
another  they  saw  a  vessel  passing  Dun  Quin, 
and  it  drew  up  at  the  quay  in  Daingean  harbor. 
Next  day  people  went  to  the  ship;  but  if  they  did, 
not  a  man  went  on  board,  for  no  man  was  allowed 
to  go. 

There  was  a  green  cat  on  deck.  The  cat  was 
master  of  the  vessel,  and  would  not  let  a  soul 
come  near  it.  A  report  went  out  through  the 
town  that  the  green  cat  would  allow  no  one  to 
go  near  the  ship,  and  for  three  weeks  this  report 
was  spreading.  No  one  was  seen  on  the  vessel 
but  the  cat,  and  he  the  size  of  a  big  man. 

Mor's  sons  heard  of  the  ship  and  the  green  cat 


Mors  Sons  and  the  Herder,  55 

at  Daingean,  and  they  said,  "  Let  us  have  a 
day's  pleasure,  and  go  to  the  ship  and  see  the 
cat." 

Mor  bade  them  stay  at  home.  "Don't  mind 
the  ship  or  the  cat,"  said  she,  "and  follow  my 
advice."  But  the  sons  would  not  follow  her 
advice,  nor  be  said  by  her,  and  away  they  went, 
in  spite  of  all  she  could  do. 

When  the  cat  saw  them  coming,  he  knew  very 
well  who  were  in  it.  He  jumped  out  on  the 
shore,  stood  on  two  legs,  and  shook  hands  with 
the  three  brothers.  He  was  as  tall  himself  as 
the  largest  man,  and  as  friendly  as  he  could  be. 
The  three  brothers  were  glad  to  receive  an  honor 
which  no  one  else  could  get. 

"  Come  down  now  to  the  cabin  and  have  a  trial 
of  my  cooking,"  said  the  cat. 

He  brought  them  to  the  cabin,  and  the  finest 
dinner  was  on  the  table  before  them,  —  meat  and 
drink  as  good  as  ever  they  tasted  either  in 
Tivorye  or  the  kingdom  of  the  White  Strand. 

When  the  cat  had  them  below  in  the  cabin, 
and  they  eating  and  drinking  with  great  pleas- 
ure and  delight,  he  went  on  deck,  screwed  down 
the  hatches,  raised  the  sails,  and  away  went  the 
vessel  sailing  out  of  the  harbor;  and  before  the 
three  brothers  knew  where  they  were,  the  ship 
was  miles  out  on   the  ocean,  and  they  thought 


56  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

they  were  eating  dinner  at  the  side  of  the  quay 
in  Daingean. 

"We  '11  go  up  now,"  said  they  when  their  din- 
ner was  eaten,  "  thank  the  cat,  and  go  on  shore 
for  ourselves. " 

When  on  deck,  they  saw  water  on  all  sides,  and 
did  not  know  in  the  world  where  they  were. 
The  cat  never  stopped  till  he  sailed  to  his  own 
kingdom,  which  was  the  kingdom  of  the  White 
Strand,  for  who  should  the  cat  be  but  the  King 
of  the  White  Strand.  He  had  come  for  the  two 
brothers  himself,  for  he  knew  that  they  would 
never  come  of  their  own  will,  and  he  could  not 
trust  another  to  go  for  them.  The  king  needed 
them,  for  they  were  the  best  men  he  had.  In 
getting  back  the  two,  he  took  the  third,  and  Mor 
was  left  without  any  son. 

Mor  heard  in  the  evening  that  the  ship  was 
gone,  and  her  own  three  sons  inside  in  it. 

"This  is  my  misfortune,"  cried  she.  "After 
rearing  my  three  sons,  they  are  gone  from  me  in 
this  way. "  She  began  to  cry  and  lament  then, 
and  to  screech  wonderfully. 

Mor  never  knew  who  the  cat  was,  or  what 
became  of  her  sons.  The  wife  of  Mor's  youngest 
son  went  away  to  her  father  in  Mayo,  and  every- 
thing she  had  went  with  her.  Mor's  husband, 
Lear,  had  died   long  before,  and  was  buried  at 


Mors  Sons  and  the  Herder,  57 

Dunmore  Head.     His  grave  is  there  to  this  day. 
Mor  became  half  demented,  and  died  soon  after. 

If  women  are  scolding  at  the  present  time,  it 
happens  often  that  one  says  to  another,  "May 
your  children  go  from  you  as  Mor's  sons  went 
with  the  enchanted  catl'* 


SAUDAN  OG  AND  THE  DAUGHTER 
OF  THE  KING  OF  SPAIN;  YOUNG 
CONAL  AND  THE  YELLOW  KING'S 
DAUGHTER. 

TD  I  NA  DURKACH  (the  King  of  the  Turks) 
lived  many  years  in  Erin,  where  he  had 
one  son,  Saudan  Og.  When  this  son  grew  up 
to  be  twenty  years  old,  he  was  a  prince  whose 
equal  was  hard  to  be  found. 

The  old  king  was  anxious  to  find  a  king's 
daughter  as  wife  for  his  son,  and  began  to  inquire 
of  all  wayfarers,  rich  and  poor,  high  and  low, 
where  was  there  a  king's  daughter  fit  for  his 
son,  but  no  one  could  tell  him. 

At  last  the  king  called  his  old  druid.  "Do 
you  know,"  asked  he,  "where  to  find  a  king's 
daughter  for  Saudan  Og.'*" 

"I  do  not,"  said  the  druid;  "but  do  you  order 
your  guards  to  stop  all  people  passing  your  castle, 
and  inquire  of  them  where  such  a  woman  may 
be." 

As  the  druid  advised,  the  king  commanded ;  but 
no  man  made  him  a  bit  the  wiser. 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  ConaL         59 

A  year  later,  an  old  ship  captain  walked  the 
way,  and  the  guards  brought  him  to  the  king. 

"  Do  you  know  where  a  fitting  wife  for  my  son 
might  be  found  ?  "  asked  the  king. 

"I  do,"  said  the  captain;  "but  my  advice  to 
you,  and  it  may  be  a  good  one,  is  to  seek  a  wife 
for  your  son  in  the  land  where  he  was  born,  and 
not  go  abroad  for  her.  You  can  find  plenty  of 
good  women  in  Erin." 

"Well,"  said  the  king,  "tell  me  first  who  is 
the  woman  you  have  in  mind." 

"If  you  must  know,"  said  the  old  captain,  "the 
daughter  of  the  King  of  Spain  is  the  woman." 

Straightway  the  king  had  a  notice  put  up  on 
the  high-road  to  bring  no  more  tidings  to  the 
castle,  as  he  had  no  need  of  them. 

When  Saudan  Og  saw  this  notice,  he  knew  that 
his  father  had  the  tidings,  but  would  not  give 
them.  Next  morning  he  went  to  the  father  and 
begged  him  to  tell.  "I  know,"  said  he,  "that 
the  old  captain  told  you." 

The  king  would  say  nothing,  for  he  feared  that 
his  son  might  fall  into  trouble. 

"I  will  start  to-morrow,"  said  Saudan  Og  at 
last,  "  in  search  of  the  woman ;  and  if  I  do  not 
find  her,  I  will  never  come  back  to  you,  so  it  is 
better  to  tell  me  at  once." 

"The  daughter  of  the  King  of  Spain   is  the 


6o  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

woman,"  said  the  father;  "but  if  you  take  my 
advice,  you'll  stay  at  home." 

On  the  following  day,  Saudan  Og  dressed  him- 
self splendidly,  mounted  a  white  steed,  and  rode 
away,  overtaking  the  wind  before  him;  but  the 
wind  behind  could  not  overtake  him.  He  trav- 
elled all  that  was  dry  of  Erin,  and  came  to  the 
seashore;  so  he  had  nowhere  else  to  travel  on 
land,  unless  he  went  back  to  his  father.  He 
turned  toward  a  wood  then,  and  saw  a  great  ash- 
tree  :  he  grasped  the  tree,  and  tore  it  out  with  its 
roots ;  and,  stripping  the  earth  from  the  roots,  he 
threw  the  great  ash  into  the  sea.  Leaving  the 
steed  behind  him,  he  sat  on  the  tree,  and  never 
stopped  nor  stayed  till  he  came  to  Spain.  When 
he  landed,  he  sent  word  to  the  king  that  Saudan 
Og  wished  to  see  him. 

The  answer  that  Saudan  got  was  not  to  come 
till  the  king  had  his  castle  prepared  to  receive 
such  a  great  champion. 

When  the  castle  was  ready,  the  King  of  Spain 
sent  a  bellman  to  give  notice  that  every  man, 
woman,  or  child  found  asleep  within  seven  days 
and  nights  would  lose  their  heads,  for  all  must 
sing,  dance,  and  enjoy  themselves  in  honor  of 
the  high  guest. 

The  king  feasted  Saudan  Og  for  seven  days 
and  nights,  and  never  asked  him  where  was  he 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  Conal.         6i 

going  or  what  was  his  business.  On  the  even- 
ing of  the  seventh  day,  Saudan  said  to  the  king, 
"  You  do  not  ask  me  what  brought  me  this  way, 
or  what  is  my  business. " 

"Were  you  to  stay  twenty  years  I  would  not 
ask.  I  'm  not  surprised  that  a  prince  of  your 
blood  and  in  full  youthful  beauty  should  travel 
the  world  to  see  what  is  in  it." 

"It  was  not  to  see  the  world  that  I  came,"  said 
Saudan  Og,  "  but  hearing  that  you  have  a  beauti- 
ful daughter,  I  wished  her  for  wife;  and  if  I  do 
not  get  her  with  your  consent,  I  will  take  her  in 
spite  of  you." 

"  You  would  get  my  daughter  with  a  hundred 
thousand  welcomes,"  said  the  king;  "but  as  you 
have  boasted,  you  must  show  action." 

The  king  then  sent  a  messenger  to  three  kings 
—  to  Ri  Fohin,  Ri  Laian,and  Conal  Gulban  —  to 
help  him.  "If  you  will  not  come,"  said  he,  "I 
am  destroyed,  for  Saudan  Og  will  take  my 
daughter  in  spite  of  me." 

The  kings  made  ready  to  sail  for  Spain.  When 
Conal  Gulban  was  going,  he  called  up  his  three 
sons  and  said,  "Stay  here  and  care  for  the 
kingdom  while  I  am  gone." 

"I  will  not  stay,"  said  the  eldest  son.  "You 
are  old  and  feeble:  I  am  young  and  strong;  let 
me  go  in  place  of  you." 


62  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

The  second  son  gave  a  like  answer.  The 
youngest  had  his  father's  name,  Conal,  and  the 
king  said  to  him,  "  Stay  here  at  home  and  care 
for  the  kingdom  while  I  am  gone,  since  your 
brothers  will  not  obey  me." 

"I  will  do  what  you  bid  me,"  said  Conal. 

"Now  I  am  going,"  said  the  old  king;  "and  if 
I  and  your  brothers  never  return,  be  not  bribed 
by  the  rich  to  injure  the  poor.  Do  justice  to  all, 
so  that  rich  and  poor  may  love  you  as  they  loved 
your  father  before  you." 

He  left  young  Conal  twelve  advisers,  and  said, 
"  If  we  do  not  return  in  a  day  and  a  year,  be  sure 
that  we  are  killed;  you  may  then  do  as  you  like 
in  the  kingdom.  If  your  twelve  advisers  tell 
you  to  marry  a  king's  daughter  of  wealth  and 
high  rank,  it  will  be  of  help  to  you  in  defending 
the  kingdom.  You  will  be  two  powers  instead 
of  one." 

The  day  and  the  year  passed,  and  no  tidings 
came  of  Conal' s  two  brothers  and  father.  At 
the  end  of  the  day  and  the  year,  the  twelve  told 
him  they  had  chosen  a  king's  daughter  for  him, 
a  very  beautiful  maiden.  When  the  twelve  spoke 
of  marriage,  Conal  let  three  screeches  out  of 
him,  that  drove  stones  from  the  walls  of  old 
buildings  for  miles  around  the  castle. 

Now  an  old  druid  that  his  father  had  twenty 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  ConaL         63 

years  before  heard  the  three  screeches,  and  said, 
"Young  Conal  is  in  great  trouble.  I  will  go 
to  him  to  know  can   I  help  him." 

The  druid  cleared  a  mountain  at  a  leap,  a 
valley  at  a  hop,  twelve  miles  at  a  running  leap, 
so  that  he  passed  hills,  dales,  and  valleys ;  and  in 
the  evening  of  the  same  day,  he  struck  his  back 
against  the  kitchen  door  of  Conal's  castle  just  as 
the  sun  was  setting. 

When  the  druid  came  to  the  castle,  young 
Conal  was  out  in  the  garden  thinking  to  himself, 
"My  father  and  brothers  are  in  Spain;  perhaps 
they  are  killed."  The  dew  was  beginning  to  fall, 
so  he  turned  to  go,  and  saw  the  old  man  at  the 
door.  The  druid  was  the  first  to  speak ;  but  not 
knowing  Conal,  he  said,  — 

"Who  are  you  coming  here  to  trouble  the 
child  ?  It  would  be  fitter  for  you  to  stay  in  your 
own  place  than  to  be  trying  to  wake  young  Conal 
with  your  screeches. " 

"Are  you,"  asked  Conal,  "the  druid  that  my 
father  had  here  years  ago?" 

"I  am  that  old  druid;  but  are  you  little 
Conal.?" 

"I  am,"  said  Conal,  and  he  gave  the  druid  a 
hundred  thousand  welcomes. 

"I  was  in  the  north  of  Erin,"  said  the  druid, 
"when  I  heard  the  three  screeches,  and  I  knew 


64  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

that  some  one  was  troubling  you,  and  your  father 
in  a  foreign  land.  My  heart  was  grieved,  and 
I  came  hither  in  haste.  I  hear  that  your  twelve 
advisers  have  chosen  a  princess,  and  that  you  are 
to  marry  to-morrow.  Put  out  of  your  head  the 
thought  of  that  princess;  she  is  not  your  equal 
in  rank  or  power.  Be  advised  by  me,  as  your 
father  was.  The  right  wife  for  you  is  the 
daughter  of  the  Yellow  King,  Haughty  and 
Strong.  If  the  king  will  not  give  her,  take  her 
by  force,  as  your  fathers  before  you  took  their 
queens. " 

Conal  was  roused  on  the  following  morning  by 
his  advisers,  who  said,  "  Make  ready  and  go  with 
us  to  the  king's  daughter  we  have  chosen." 

He  mounted  his  steed,  and  rode  away  with 
the  twelve  till  they  came  to  a  cross-road.  The 
twelve  wished  to  turn  to  one  side;  and  when 
Conal  saw  this,  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  took 
the  straight  road,  and  never  stopped  till  he  put 
seven  miles  between  himself  and  the  twelve. 
Then  he  turned,  hurried  back  to  the  cross-road, 
came  up  to  the  adviser  whom  he  liked  best,  and, 
giving  him  the  keys  of  the  castle,  said,  — 

"Go  back  and  rule  till  I  or  my  father  or 
brothers  return.  I  give  you  the  advice  that  I 
myself  got:  Never  let  the  poor  blame  you  for 
taking  bribes  from  the  rich;  live  justly,  and  do 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  Conal.         65 

good  to  the  poor,  that  the  rich  and  the  poor  may 
like  you.  If  you  twelve  had  not  advised  me 
to  marry,  I  might  be  going  around  with  a  ball 
and  a  hurley,  as  befits  my  age;  but  now  I  will 
go  out  in  the  world  and  seek  my  own  fortune. " 

He  took  farewell  of  them  then,  and  set  his  face 
toward  the  Yellow  King's  castle.  A  long  time 
before  it  was  prophesied  that  young  Conal,  son 
of  Gulban,  would  cut  the  head  off  the  Yellow 
King,  so  seven  great  walls  had  been  built  around 
the  castle,  and  a  gate  to  each  wall.  At  the  first 
gate,  there  were  seven  hundred  blind  men  to 
obstruct  the  entrance;  at  the  second,  seven  hun- 
dred deaf  men;  at  the  third,  seven  hundred 
cripples;  at  the  fourth,  seven  hundred  sensible 
women;  at  the  fifth,  seven  hundred  idiots;  at  the 
sixth,  seven  hundred  people  of  small  account ;  at 
the  seventh,  the  seven  hundred  best  champions 
that  the  Yellow  King  had  in  his  service. 

All  these  walls  and  defenders  were  there  to 
prevent  any  man  from  taking  the  Yellow  King's 
daughter;  for  it  had  been  predicted  that  the  man 
who  would  marry  the  daughter  would  take  the 
king's  head,  and  that  this  man  would  be  Conal, 
son  of  Conal  Gulban. 

The  only  sleep  that  the  guards  at  the  seven 
gates  had  was  half  an  hour  before  sunrise  and 
half  an   hour  after  sunset.     During   these  two 

5 


66  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

half  hours,  a  plover  stood  on  the  top  of  each  gate ; 
and  if  any  one  came,  the  bird  would  scream,  and 
wake  all  the  people  in  one  instant. 

The  Yellow  King's  daughter  was  in  the  highest 
story  of  the  castle,  and  twelve  waiting-maids 
serving  her.  She  was  so  closely  confined  that 
she  looked  on  herself  as  a  prisoner;  so  one  morn- 
ing early  she  said  to  the  twelve  maids,  "I  am 
confined  here  as  a  criminal, —  I  am  never  free  even 
to  walk  in  the  garden ;  and  I  wish  in  my  heart 
that  some  powerful  young  king's  son  would  come 
the  way  to  me.  I  would  fly  off  with  him,  and  no 
blood  would  be  shed  for  me. " 

It  was  about  this  time  that  young  Conal  came, 
and,  seeing  all  asleep,  put  spurs  to  his  steed,  and 
cleared  the  walls  at  a  bound.  If  the  birds  called 
out,  he  had  the  gates  cleared  and  was  in  before 
the  champions  were  roused ;  and  when  he  was 
inside,  they  did  not  attack  him. 

He  let  his  horse  out  to  graze  near  the  castle, 
where  he  saw  three  poles,  and  on  each  one  of 
two  of  them  a  skull. 

"These  are  the  heads  of  two  king's  sons  who 
came  to  win  the  Yellow  King's  daughter," 
thought  Conal,  "and  I  suppose  mine  will  be  the 
third  head;  but  if  I  die,  I  shall  have  company." 

At  this  time  the  twelve  waiting-maids  cast  lots 
to  know  who  was  to  walk  in  the  yard,  and  see  if  a 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  Conal.         67 

champion  had  come  who  was  worthy  of  the  prin- 
cess. The  maid  on  whom  the  lot  fell  came  back 
in  a  hurry,  saying,  "  I  have  seen  the  finest  man 
that  I  ever  laid  eyes  on.  He  is  beautiful,  but 
slender  and  young  yet.  If  there  is  a  man  born 
for  you,  it  is  that  one." 

**Go  again,"  said  the  Yellow  King's  daughter, 
"and  face  him.  Do  not  speak  to  him  for  your 
life  till  he  speaks  to  you;  say  then  that  I  sent 
you,  and  that  he  is  to  come  under  my  window." 

The  maid  went  and  crossed  Conal's  path  three 
times,  but  he  spoke  not;  she  crossed  a  fourth 
time,  and  he  said,  "  I  suppose  it  is  not  for  good 
that  you  cross  my  path  so  early }  " 

(It  is  thought  unlucky  to  meet  a  woman  first 
in  the  morning.) 

"My  mistress  wishes  you  to  go  under  her 
window." 

Conal  went  under  the  window;  and  the  king's 
daughter,  looking  down,  fell  deeply  in  love  with 
him.  "I  am  too  high,  and  you  are  too  low," 
said  the  Yellow  King's  daughter.  "If  we  speak, 
people  will  hear  us  all  over  the  castle;  but  I  '11 
take  some  golden  cord,  and  try  can  I  draw  you  up 
to  me,  that  we  may  speak  a  few  words  to  each 
other." 

"It  would  be  a  poor  case  for  me,"  said  young 
Conal,  "  to  wait  till  you  could  tie  strings  together 


68  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

to  raise  me."  He  stuck  his  sword  in  the  earth 
then,  and,  making  one  bound,  went  in  at  the 
window.  The  princess  embraced  him  and  kissed 
him;  she  knew  not  what  to  give  him  to  eat  or 
to  drink,  or  what  would  please  him  most. 

"Have  you  seen  the  people  at  the  seven 
gates  .^"  asked  the  Yellow  King's  daughter. 

"I  have,"  answered  Conal. 

"  They  are  all  awake  now,  and  I  will  go  down 
and  walk  through  the  gates  with  you;  seeing  me, 
the  guards  will  not  stop  us." 

"  I  will  not  do  that.  It  will  never  be  said  of 
young  Conal  of  Erin  that  he  stole  his  wife  from 
her  father.  I  will  win  you  with  strength,  or  not 
have  you." 

"I'm  afraid  there  is  too  much  against  you," 
said  the  Yellow  King's  daughter. 

These  words  enraged  Conal,  and,  making  one 
bound  through  the  window,  he  went  to  the  pole 
of  combat,  and  struck  a  blow  that  roused  the  old 
hag  in  the  eastern  world,  and  shook  the  castle 
with  all  the  land  around  it.  The  Yellow  King 
was  sleeping  at  the  time;  the  shake  that  he  got 
threw  him  out  of  his  bed.  He  fell  to  the  floor 
with  such  force  that  a  great  lump  came  out  on 
his  forehead;  he  was  so  frightened  that  he  said 
to  the  old  druid  who  ran  in  to  help  him,  "  Many 
a  year  have  I  lived  without  hearing  the  like  of 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  Conal.         69 

that  blow.  There  must  be  a  great  champion 
outside  the  castle." 

The  guard  was  sent  to  see  if  any  one  was  left 
alive  near  the  castle.  "For,"  said  the  king, 
"  such  a  champion  must  have  killed  all  the  people 
at  the  gates. "  The  guard  went,  saw  no  one  dead, 
but  every  one  living,  and  a  champion  walking 
around,  sword  in  hand. 

The  guard  hurried  back,  and  said  to  the  king, 
"There  is  a  champion  in  front  of  the  castle, 
handsome,   but  slender  and  young." 

"Go  to  him,"  said  the  king,  "and  ask  how 
many  men  does  he  want  for  the  combat."  The 
guard  went  out  and  asked. 

"  I  want  seven  hundred  at  my  right  hand,  seven 
hundred  at  my  left,  seven  hundred  behind  me, 
and  as  many  as  all  these  out  in  front  of  me.  Let 
them  come  four  deep  through  the  gates :  do  you 
take  no  part  in  this  battle;  if  I  am  victorious, 
I  will  see  you  rewarded." 

The  guard  told  the  king  how  many  men  the 
champion  demanded.  Before  the  king  opened 
the  gates  for  his  men,  he  said  to  the  chief  of 
them,  "  This  youth  must  be  mad,  or  a  very  great 
champion.  Before  I  let  my  men  out,  I  must  see 
him." 

The  king  walked  out  to  young  Conal,  and 
saluted  him.     Conal  returned  the  salute.     "Are 


70  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

you  the  champion  who  ordered  out  all  these  men 
of  mine?  "  asked  the  king. 

"I  am,"  said  young  Conal. 

**  There  is  not  one  among  them  who  would  not 
kill  a  dozen  like  you,"  said  the  king.  "Your 
bones  are  soft  and  young.  It  is  better  for  you 
to  go  out  as  you  came  in." 

"You  need  not  mind  what  will  happen  me," 
answered  Conal.  "  Let  out  the  men ;  the  more 
the  men,  the  quicker  the  work.  If  one  man 
would  kill  me  in  a  short  time,  many  will  do  it  in 
less  time." 

The  men  were  let  out,  and  Conal  went  through 
them  as  a  hawk  goes  through  a  flock  of  birds ;  and 
when  one  man  fell  before  him,  he  knocked  the 
next  man,  and  had  his  head  off.  At  sunset 
every  head  was  cut  from  its  body.  Next  he 
made  a  heap  of  the  bodies,  a  heap  of  the  heads, 
and  a  heap  of  the  weapons.  Young  Conal  then 
stretched  himself  on  the  grass,  cut  and  bruised, 
his  clothes  in  small  pieces  from  the  blows  that 
had  struck  him. 

"It  is  a  hard  thing,"  said  Conal,  "for  me  to 
have  fought  such  a  battle,  and  to  lie  here  dying 
without  one  glimpse  of  the  woman  I  love;  could 
I  see  her  even  once,  I  would  be  satisfied." 

Crawling  on  his  hands  and  knees,  he  dragged 
himself  to  the  window  to  tell  her  it  was  for  her 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  ConaL         71 

he  was  dying.  The  princess  saw  him,  and  told 
him  to  lie  there  till  she  could  draw  him  up  to  her 
and  care  for  him. 

"It  is  a  hard  thing  if  I  have  to  wait  here  till 
strings  and  cords  are  fastened  together  to  raise 
me,"  said  he,  and,  making  one  bound  from  where 
he  was  lying  on  the  flat  of  his  back,  he  went  up 
to  her  window;  she  snatched  at  him,  and  pulled 
him  into  the  chamber. 

There  was  a  magic  well  in  the  castle;  the 
Yellow  King's  daughter  bathed  him  in  the  water 
of  it,  and  he  was  made  whole  and  sound  as  before 
he  went  to  battle.  "Now,"  said  she,  "you  must 
fly  with  me  from  this  castle." 

"I  will  not  go  while  there  is  anything  that 
may  be   cast   on   my  honor    in   time  to  come," 
answered  Conal. 

Next  day  he  struck  the  pole  of  combat  with 
double  the  force  of  the  first  time,  so  that  the 
king  got  a  staggering  fit  from  the  shock  that  it 
gave  him. 

The  Yellow  King  had  no  forces  now  but  the 
deaf,  the  blind,  the  cripples,  the  sensible  women, 
the  idiots,  and  the  people  of  small  account.  So 
out  went  the  king  in  his  own  person.  He  and 
young  Conal  made  the  hills,  dales,  and  valleys 
tremble,  and  clear  spring  wells  to  rise  out  of 
hard,    gravelly   places.      Thus    they   fought    for 


72  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

three  days  and  two  nights.  On  the  evening  of 
the  third  day,  the  king  asked  Conal  for  a  time  to 
rest  and  take  food  and  drink. 

"I  have  never  begun  any  work,"  said  Conal, 
"without  finishing  it.  Fight  to  the  end,  then 
you  can  rest  as  long  as  you  like." 

So  they  went  at  it  again,  and  fought  seven 
days  and  seven  nights  without  food,  drink,  or 
rest,  and  each  trying  to  get  the  advantage  of  the 
other.  On  the  seventh  evening,  Conal  swept  the 
head  off  the  king  with  one  blow. 

"  'T  is  your  own  skull  that  will  be  on  the  pole 
in  place  of  mine,  and  I  '11  have  the  daughter," 
said  Conal. 

The  Yellow  King's  daughter  came  down  and 
asked,  "Will  you  go  with  me  now,  or  will  you 
take  the  kingdom  }  " 

"I  will  go,"  answered  Conal. 

"You  did  not  go  to  the  battle .?"  asked  Conal 
of  the  guard. 

"I  did  not." 

"Well  for  you  that  you  did  not.  Now,"  said 
Conal  to  the  princess,  "whomever  of  the  maids 
you  like  best,  the  guard  may  marry,  and  they 
will  care  for  this  kingdom  till  we  return." 

The  guard  and  maid  were  married,  and  put  in 
charge  of  the  kingdom.  The  following  morning 
young  Conal  got  his  steed  ready  and  set  out  for 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  Conal.         73 

home  with  the  princess.  As  they  were  riding 
along  near  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  Conal  grew 
very  sleepy,  and  said  to  the  princess,  "I'll  go 
down  now  and  take  a  sleep." 

The  place  was  lonely, —  hardly  two  houses  in 
twenty  miles.  The  Yellow  King's  daughter 
advised  Conal:  **Take  me  to  some  habitation 
and  sleep  there;  this  place  is  too  wild." 

"  I  cannot  wait,  —  I'm  too  drowsy  and  weary 
after  the  long  battle;  but  if  I  might  sleep  a  little, 
I  could  fight  for  seven  days  and  seven  nights 
again."  He  dismounted,  and  she  sat  on  a  green 
mossy  bank.  Putting  his  head  on  her  lap,  he 
fell  asleep,  and  his  steed  went  away  on  the  moun- 
tain side  grazing. 

Conal  had  slept  for  three  days  and  two  nights 
with  his  head  in  the  lap  of  the  Yellow  King's 
daughter,  when  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day 
the  princess  saw  the  largest  man  she  had  ever 
set  eyes  on,  walking  toward  her  through  the  sea 
and  a  basket  on  his  back.  The  sea  did  not 
reach  to  his  knees;  a  shield  could  not  pass  be- 
tween his  head  and  the  sky.  This  was  the  High 
King  of  the  World.  This  big  man  faced  up  to 
where  Conal  and  his  bride  were;  and,  taking  the 
tips  of  her  fingers,  he  kissed  her  three  times. 
"Bad  luck  to  me,"  said  the  King  of  the  World, 
"  if  the  young  woman  I  am  going  for  were  beyond 


74  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

the  ditch  there  I  would  not  go  to  her.  You  are 
fairer  and  better  than  she. " 

"Where  were  you  going?  "  asked  the  princess. 
"Don't  mind  me,  but  go  on." 

"I  was  going  for  the  Yellow  King's  daughter, 
but  will  not  go  a  step  further  now  that  I  see 
you." 

"  Go  your  way  to  her,  for  she  is  the  finest  prin- 
cess on  earth ;  I  am  a  simple  woman,  and  another 
man's  wife." 

"Well,  pain  and  torments  to  me  if  I  go  beyond 
this  without  taking  you  with  me! " 

"If  this  man  here  were  awake,"  said  the 
Yellow  King's  daughter,  "he  would  put  a  stop 
to  you."  She  was  trying  all  this  time  to  rouse 
Conal. 

"It  is  better  for  him  to  be  as  he  is,"  said  the 
High  King;  "if  he  were  awake,  it's  harm  he'd 
get  from  me,  and  that  would  vex  you. " 

When  she  saw  that  he  would  take  her  surely, 
she  bound  him  not  to  make  her  his  wife  for  a  day 
and  a  year. 

"This  is  the  worst  promise  that  ever  I  have 
made,"  said  the  High  King,  "but  I  will  keep  it." 

"  If  this  man  here  were  awake,  he  would  stop 
you,"  said  the  princess. 

The  High  King  of  the  World  thrust  the  tip 
of  his  forefinger  under  the  sword-belt  of  Conal, 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  ConaL         75 

and  hurled  him  up  five  miles  in  the  air.  When 
Conal  came  down,  he  let  out  three  waves  of  blood 
from  his  mouth. 

"Do  you  think  that  is  enough.?"  asked  the 
king  of  the  princess. 

"Throw  him  a  second  time,"  said  the  Yellow 
King's  daughter. 

He  threw  him  still  higher,  and  Conal  put  out 
three  greater  waves.     "  Is  that  enough }  " 

"Try  him  a  third  time."  He  threw  him  still 
higher  this  time.  Conal  put  out  three  greater 
waves,  but  waked  not. 

While  the  High  King  was  throwing  up  Conal, 
the  princess  was  writing  a  letter  telling  all, —  that 
she  knew  not  whither  she  was  going,  that  she 
had  bound  the  High  King  of  the  World  not  to 
make  her  his  wife  for  a  day  and  a  year,  "  and, "  said 
she,  "I'm  sure  that  you  will  find  me  in  that 
time." 

The  king  took  her  in  his  arms,  and  away  he 
went  walking  in  the  sea,  throwing  fish  into  his 
basket  as  he  travelled  through  the  water. 

Conal  slept  a  hero's  sleep  of  seven  days  and 
nights,  and  woke  four  days  after  his  bride  had 
been  stolen.  He  rubbed  his  eyes,  and,  glancing 
toward  the  mountain  side,  saw  neither  steed  nor 
wife,  and  said,  "No  wonder  that  I  cannot  see 
wife  nor  horse  when  I  'm  so  sleepy;  what  am  I 
to  do.?" 


76  Hero-Tales  of  Irelaitd, 

Not  far  away  were  some  small  boys,  and  they 
herding  cows.  The  boys  began  to  make  sport  of 
Conal  for  sleeping  seven  days  and  nights.  "I 
do  not  blame  you  for  laughing,"  said  Conal  (ever 
since,  when  there  is  a  great  sleeper,  people  say 
that  he  sleeps  like  Conal  on  the  side  of  Beann 
Edain),  "but  have  you  tidings  of  my  wife  and 
my  steed ;  where  are  they,  or  has  any  man  taken 
them.?" 

A  boy  older  and  wiser  than  the  others  said, 
"Your  horse  is  on  the  mountain  side  feeding; 
and  every  day  he  came  hither  and  sniffed  you,  and 
you  sleeping,  and  then  went  away  grazing  for 
himself.  Four  days  ago  the  greatest  giant  ever 
seen  by  the  eye  of  man  walked  in  through  the 
ocean;  he  tossed  you  three  times  in  the  air. 
Every  time  we  thought  you  'd  be  broken  to  dust; 
and  the  lady  you  had,  wrote  something  and  put  it 
under  your  belt." 

Conal  read  the  letter,  and  knew  that,  in  spite 
of  her,  the  Yellow  King's  daughter  had  been 
carried  away.  He  then  preferred  battle  to  peace, 
and  asked  the  boys  was  there  a  ship  that  could 
take  him  to  sea. 

"There  is  no  right  ship  in  the  place,  but  there 
is  an  old  vessel  wrecked  in  a  cove  there  beyond," 
said  the  oldest  boy. 

The  boys  went  with  Conal,  and  showed  him  the 
vessel. 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  Conal.  77 

"Put  your  backs  to  her  now,  and  help  me,"  said 
Conal. 

The  boys  laughed,  thinking  that  two  hundred 
men  could  not  move  such  a  vessel.  Conal 
scowled,  and  then  they  were  in  dread  of  him, 
and  with  one  shove  they  and  Conal  put  the  ship 
in  the  sea;  but  the  water  was  going  in  and  out 
through  her.  Conal  knew  not  at  first  what  to 
do,  as  there  was  no  timber  near  by,  but  he  killed 
seven  cows,  fastened  the  hides  on  the  ship,  and 
made  it  proof  against  water.  When  the  boys 
saw  the  cows  slaughtered,  they  began  to  cry, 
saying,  "  How  can  we  go  home  now,  and  our 
cows  killed } " 

"There  is  not  a  cow  killed,"  said  Conal,  "but 
you  will  get  two  cows  in  place  of  her. "  He  gave 
two  prices  for  each  cow  of  the  seven,  and  said 
to  the  boys,  "  Go  home  now,  and  tell  what  has 
happened. " 

Conal  sailed  away  for  himself;  and  when  his 
ship  was  in  the  ocean,  he  let  her  go  with  the 
wind.  On  the  third  afternoon,  he  saw  three 
islands,  and  on  the  middle  island  a  fine  open 
strand,  with  a  great  crowd  of  people.  He  threw 
out  three  anchors,  two  at  the  ocean  side  and  one 
at  the  shore  side,  so  that  the  ship  would  not  stir, 
no  matter  what  wind  blew,  and,  planting  his 
sword  in  the  deck,  he  gave  one  bound  and  went 


yS  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland. 

out  on  the  strand  seven  miles  distant.  He 
saluted  a  good-looking  man,  and  asked,  "  Why  are 
so  many  people  here?    What  is  their  business?  " 

"  Where  do  you  live  ?  Of  what  nation  are  you 
that  you  ask  such  a  question  ? " 

"I  am  a  stranger,"  said  Conal,  "just  come  to 
this  island." 

The  islander  showed  Conal  a  man  sitting  on 
the  beach  as  large  as  twelve  of  the  big  men  of 
the  island.     "  Do  you  see  him  ?  " 

"I  do,"  said  Conal. 

"  There  are  three  brothers  of  us  on  these  three 
islands;  that  man  is  our  youngest  brother,  and 
he  has  grown  so  strong  and  terrible  that  we  are 
in  dread  he  will  drive  us  from  our  share  of  the 
islands,  and  that  is  why  we  are  here  to-day.  My 
eldest  brother  and  I  have  come  with  what  men 
we  have  to  this  middle  island,  which  belongs  to 
our  youngest  brother.  We  are  to  play  ball 
against  all  his  forces;  if  we  beat  them,  we  shall 
think  ourselves  safe.  Now,  which  side  will  you 
take,  young  champion  ?  " 

"  If  I  go  on  your  side,  some  may  say  that  I  fear 
your  men ;  and  if  I  go  with  your  younger  brother, 
you  and  your  elder  brother  may  say  that  I  fear 
your  strong  brother's  forces.  Bring  all  the  men 
of  the  three  islands.     I  will  play  against  them." 

"Well,"  asked  the  stranger,  "what  wager  will 
you  lay  ? " 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  ConaL         79 

"I'll  wager,"  said  Conal,  "those  two  islands 
out  there  on  the  ocean  side." 

"They  are  ours  already,"  said  the  man. 

"Bad  luck  to  you!  Why  claim  everything?" 
said  Conal.  "Well,  I  '11  lay  another  wager. 
If  I  lose,  I  '11  stand  in  the  middle  of  the  strand, 
and  every  man  of  the  three  islands  may  give 
me  a  blow  of  the  hurley;  and  if  I  win,  I  am  to 
have  a  blow  on  every  man  who  played  against 
me.  But  first,  I  must  have  my  choice  of  the 
hurleys;  all  must  be  thrown  in  a  heap.  I  will 
take  the  one  I  like  best." 

This  was  done,  and  Conal  took  the  largest  and 
strongest  hurley  he  could  find.  The  ball  was 
struck  about  the  middle  of  the  strand;  and  there 
was  a  goal  at  each  end  of  it,  and  these  goals  were 
fourteen  miles  apart.  Conal  took  the  ball  with 
hurley,  hand  and  foot,  and  never  let  it  touch 
ground  till  he  put  it  through  the  goal.  "  Is  that  a 
fair  inning?  "  asked  he  of  the  other  side. 

Some  said  it  was  foul,  for  he  kept  the  ball  in 
the  air  all  the  time. 

"Well,  I  '11  make  a  second  trial;  I  will  put  it 
through  the  opposite  goal."  He  struck  the  ball 
in  the  middle  of  the  strand,  and  sent  it  toward  the 
other  goal  with  such  force  that  whoever  tipped  it 
never  drew  breath  again,  and  every  man  whom  it 
passed  was  driven  sixty  feet  to  one  side  or  the 


8o  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland, 

other.  Conal  was  always  within  a  few  yards  of 
the  ball,  and  he  put  it  through  the  goal  seven 
miles  distant  from  the  middle  of  the  strand  with 
two  blows. 

"  Is  that  a  fair  inning  ?  "  asked  Conal. 

"It  would  be  hard  to  say  that  it  is  not,"  said 
one  man,  and  no  man  gainsaid  him. 

"Let  all  stand  now  in  ranks  two  deep,  till  I 
get  my  blow  on  each  man  of  you. " 

All  the  men  were  arranged  two  deep;  and  when 
Conal  came  up,  the  foremost  man  sprang  behind 
the  one  in  the  rear  of  him,  and  that  one  behind 
the  man  at  his  side,  and  so  on  throughout.  None 
would  stand  to  receive  Conal's  blow. 

Away  rushed  every  man,  woman,  and  child, 
and  never  stopped  till  they  were  inside  in  their 
houses.  First  of  all,  ran  the  brothers  of  the 
islands. 

When  they  reached  the  castle,  they  began  to 
lament  because  they  had  insulted  the  champion, 
and  knew  not  who  he  was  or  whence  he  had  come. 

The  three  brothers  had  one  sister;  and  when 
she  saw  them  lamenting  and  grieving,  she  asked: 
"  What  trouble  is  on  you }  " 

"We  fled  from  the  champion,  and  the  people 
followed  us." 

"None  of  you  invited  the  champion  to  the 
castle,"  said  the  sister;  "now  he  will   fall   into 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  ConaL         8i 

such  a  rage  on  the  strand  that  in  one  hour  he 
will  not  leave  a  person  alive  on  the  islands.  If 
I  had  some  one  to  go  with  me,  I  would  invite 
him,  and  the  people  would  be  spared." 

"  I  will  go  with  you,"  said  her  chief  maid. 

Away  they  went,  walking  toward  the  strand; 
and  when  they  had  come  near,  they  threw  them- 
selves on  their  knees  before  Conal.  He  asked 
who  they  were  and  what  brought  them. 

"  My  brothers  sent  me  to  beg  pardon  for  them, 
and  invite  you  to  the  castle." 

"I  will  go,"  said  Conal;  "and  if  you  had  not 
come,  I  would  not  have  left  a  man  alive  on  the 
three  islands."  Conal  went  with  the  princess, 
and  saw  at  the  castle  a  very  old  and  large  man ; 
and  the  old  man  rose  up  before  him  and  said, 
"A  hundred  thousand  welcomes  to  you,  young 
Conal  from  Erin." 

"Who  are  you  who  know  me,  and  I  never 
before  on  this  island  .!*"  asked  Conal. 

"My  name  is  Donach  the  Druid,  from  Erin. 
I  was  often  in  your  father's  house,  and  it  was  a 
good  place  for  rich  or  poor  to  visit,  for  they  were 
alike  there;  and  now  I  hope  you  will  take  me 
home  to  be  buried  among  my  own  people.  It 
was  God  who  drove  you  hither  to  this  island  to 
take  me  home." 

"And   I  will  do  that,"  said   Conal,    "if   I  go 
6 


82  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

there  myself.     Tell  me  now  how  you  came  to 
this  place." 

"I  was  taken,"  said  Donach,  "out  on  the  wild 
arm  of  the  wind,  and  was  thrown  in  on  this  island. 
I  am  here  ever  since.  I  am  old  now,  and  I  wish 
to  be  home  in  my  own  place  in  Erin." 

Now  young  Conal,  the  sister,  and  three 
brothers  sat  down  to  dinner.  When  dinner  was 
over,  and  they  had  eaten  and  drunk,  they  were 
as  happy  as  if  they  had  lived  a  thousand  years 
together.  The  three  brothers  asked  Conal  where 
was  he  going,  and  what  was  his  business.  Conal 
did  not  say  that  he  was  in  search  of  his  wife,  but 
he  said  that  he  was  going  to  his  own  castle  and 
kingdom.  The  old  druid,  two  of  the  brothers, 
and  the  sister  said,  "  We  will  go  with  you,  and 
serve  you  till  you  come  to  your  kingdom." 

They  got  a  boat  and  took  him  to  the  ship.  He 
weighed  anchor,  and  sailed  away.  For  two  or 
three  days  they  saw  nothing  wonderful.  The 
fourth  day  they  came  to  a  great  island ;  and  as 
they  neared  it,  they  saw  three  champions  inside, 
and  the  three  fighting  with  swords  and  spears. 
Young  Conal  was  surprised  to  see  three  fighting 
at  the  same  time. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "it  is  nothing  to  see  two 
champions  in  combat,  but  't  is  strange  to  see 
three.     I  will  go  in  and  see  why  they  are  fight- 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  Conal.         ^^i 

ing. "  He  threw  out  his  chains,  and  made  his 
ship  fast ;  then  he  made  a  rush  from  the  stern  of 
the  vessel  to  the  bow,  and  as  he  ran,  he  caught 
Donach  the  Druid  and  carried  him,  and  with  one 
leap  was  in  on  the  strand,  seven  miles  from  the 
ship. 

Young  Conal  faced  the  champions,  and,  salut- 
ing the  one  he  thought  best,  asked  the  cause  of 
their  battle.  The  champion  sat  down,  and 
began.  "I  will  tell  you  the  reason,"  said  he. 
"Seven  miles  from  this  place  there  stands  a 
castle;  in  that  castle  is  the  most  beautiful  woman 
that  the  eye  of  man  has  ever  seen,  and  the  three 
of  us  are  in  love  with  her.  She  says  she  will 
take  only  the  best  man ;  and  we  are  striving  to 
know  who  is  best,  but  no  man  of  us  three  can 
get  the  upper  hand  of  another.  We  can  kill  every 
man  who  comes  to  the  island,  but  no  man  of  us 
can  kill  another  of  the  three." 

When  Conal  heard  this  he  sprang  up,  and  told 
the  champions  to  face  him  and  he  would  see  what 
they  could  do.  The  three  faced  him,  and  went  at 
him.  Soon  he  swept  the  heads  off  two  of  them, 
but  the  third  man  was  pressing  hard  on  Conal. 
His  name  was  the  Short  Dun  Champion;  but  in 
the  end  Conal  knocked  him  with  a  blow,  and  no 
sooner  had  he  him  knocked  than  Donach  the 
Druid  had  him  tied  with  strong  cords  and  strings 


84  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

of  enchantment.  Then  young  Conal  spoke  to 
Donach  the  Druid  and  said,  "Come  to  this 
champion's  breastbone  and  split  it,  take  out  his 
heart  and  his  liver,  and  give  them  to  my  young 
hound  to  eat;"  and  turning  to  the  Short  Dun 
Champion,  he  asked,  "Have  you  ever  been  so 
near  a  fearful  death  as  you  are  at  this  moment  ?  " 

"'Tis  hard  for  me  to  answer  you,"  said  he, 
"for  't  is  firmly  I  am  bound  by  your  Druid,  bad 
luck  to  him. " 

"Unbind  the  champion,"  said  Conal,  "till  he 
tells  us  at  his  ease  was  he  ever  nearer  a  fearful 
death  than  he  is  at  this  moment." 

"I  was,"  said  the  champion  to  Conal.  "Sit 
down  there  on  that  stool.  I  will  sit  here  and 
tell  you.  I  did  not  think  much  of  your  torture, 
for  I  knew  that  when  my  heart  and  liver  were 
taken,  I  should  be  gone  in  that  moment.  Once 
I  had  a  longer  torture  to  suffer.  Not  many 
months  ago,  I  was  sailing  on  my  ship  in  mid- 
ocean  when  I  saw  the  biggest  man  ever  seen  on 
earth,  and  he  with  a  beautiful  woman  in  his 
hand.  The  moment  I  saw  that  woman  I  was  in 
love  with  her,  and  I  sailed  toward  the  High  King 
of  the  World,  for  it  was  he  that  was  in  it ;  but  if 
I  did,  he  let  my  ship  go  out  in  full  sail  between 
his  two  legs,  and  travelled  on  in  another  direc- 
tion.    I  turned   the  ship  again,  and  went  after 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  Conal         85 

him.  I  climbed  to  the  topmast,  and  stood  there. 
I  came  up  to  the  King  of  the  World,  for  wind 
and  wave  were  with  me,  and,  being  almost  as 
high  as  the  woman  in  his  hand,  I  made  a  grasp 
at  her;  he  let  my  ship  out  between  his  legs, 
but  if  he  did,  I  took  the  woman  with  me  and 
kissed  her  three  times.  This  enraged  the  High 
King.  He  came  to  my  ship,  bound  and  tied  me 
with  strong  hempen  cords,  then,  putting  a  finger 
under  me,  he  tossed  me  out  on  the  sea  and 
let  my  ship  drift  with  the  wind.  I  had  some 
enchantment  of  my  own,  and  the  sea  did  not 
drown  me.  When  little  fish  came  my  way,  I 
swallowed  them,  and  thus  I  got  food.  I  was  in 
this  state  for  many  days,  and  the  hempen  cords 
began  to  rot  and  weaken.  Through  good  luck  or 
ill,  I  was  thrown  in  on  this  island.  I  pulled  the 
cords,  and  struggled  with  them  till  one  hand  was 
free;  then  I  unbound  myself.  I  came  to  shore 
where  the  island  is  wildest.  A  bird  called  Nails 
of  Daring  had  a  nest  in  a  high,  rugged  cliff. 
This  bird  came  down,  and,  seizing  me,  rose  in  the 
air.  Then  she  dropped  me.  I  fell  like  a  ball,  and 
struck  the  sea  close  to  land.  I  feigned  death 
well,  and  was  up  and  down  with  the  waves  that 
she  might  not  seize  me  a  second  time,  but  soon 
she  swooped  down  and  placed  her  ear  near  me  to 
know  was  I   living.     I  held  my  breath,  and  she, 


86  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

thinking  me  dead,  flew  away.  I  rose  up,  and  ran 
with  all  speed  to  the  first  house  I  found.  Now, 
was  I  not  nearer  a  worse  death  than  the  one  to 
which  you  condemned  me.?  Nails  of  Daring 
would  have  given  me  a  frightful  and  slow  death, 
and  you  wished  to  give  me  a  quick  one." 

"Short  Dun  Champion,"  said  Conal,  "the 
woman  you  saw  with  the  High  King  was  my 
wife.  It  was  luck  that  brought  me  in  your  way, 
and  it  was  luck  that  Donach  the  Druid  tied  you 
in  such  a  fashion.  Now  you  must  guide  me  to 
the  castle  of  the  High  King." 

"Come,  now,  druid,  bind  my  hands  and  feet, 
take  my  heart  and  liver  and  give  them  to  young 
Conal's  hound  whelp,  rather  than  take  me  to  that 
king.     I  got  dread  enough  before  from  him." 

"  Believe  me,  all  I  want  of  you  now  is  to  guide 
my  ship;  you  will  come  back  in  safety  and 
health,"  said  young  Conal. 

"I  will  go  with  you  and  guide  you,  if  you 
put  me  beneath  your  ship's  ballast  when  you 
see  him  nearing  us,  for  fear  he  will  get  a  glimpse 
of  me." 

"I  will  do  that,"  said  Conal. 

Now  they  went  out  to  the  ship,  and  steered 
away,  with  the  Short  Dun  Champion  as  pilot. 
They  were  the  fifth  day  at  sea  when  he  steered 
the  ship  toward  the  castle  of  the   High   King. 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  Conal.         87 

"That,"  said  the  Short  Dun  Champion,  pointing 
to  a  great  building  on  an  island,  "  is  the  castle 
of  the  High  King  of  the  World;  but  as  good  a 
champion  as  you  are,  you  cannot  free  your  wife 
from  it.  That  castle  revolves;  and  as  it  goes 
around  it  throws  out  poison,  and  if  one  drop  of 
that  poison  were  to  fall  on  you  the  flesh  would 
melt  from  your  bones.  But  the  King  of  the 
World  is  not  at  home  now,  for  to-morrow  the 
day  and  the  year  will  be  up  since  he  stole 
the  wife  from  you.  I  have  some  power  of  en- 
chantment and  I  will  bring  the  woman  to  you  in 
the  ship." 

The  Short  Dun  Champion  went  with  one  leap 
from  the  deck  of  the  ship  to  the  strand,  and, 
caring  for  no  man,  walked  straight  to  the  castle 
where  the  Yellow  King's  daughter  was  held. 
The  castle  had  an  opening  underneath,  and  the 
Short  Dun  Champion,  keeping  the  poison  away 
by  his  power,  passed  in,  found  the  princess,  and 
wrapping  her  in  the  skirt  of  an  enchanted  cloak 
that  he  had,  took  her  out,  and  running  to  the 
strand  was  in  on  the  deck  of  the  ship  with  one 
bound. 

The  moment  the  princess  set  eyes  on  Conal, 
she  gave  such  a  scream  that  the  High  King  heard 
her,  and  he  off  in  the  Western  World  inviting 
all  the  great  people  to  his  wedding.     He  started 


88  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

that  minute  for  the  castle,  and  did  not  wait  to 
throw  fish  in  his  basket  as  he  went  through  the 
sea.  When  he  came  home,  the  princess  was  not 
there  before  him.  "  Where  has  my  bride  gone, 
or  has  some  one  stolen  her.?  "  asked  he. 

**A  man  who  has  a  ship  in  the  harbor  came 
and  stole  the  lady." 

"  A  thousand  deaths !  What  shall  I  do,  and  all 
the  high  people  on  the  way  to  the  wedding }  " 

He  seized  a  great  club  and  killed  half  his  ser- 
vants, then  rushed  to  the  strand,  and  seeing  the 
ship  still  at  anchor,  shouted  for  battle. 

When  the  Short  Dun  Champion  heard  the 
king's  voice,  he  screamed  to  be  put  under  the 
ballast.  He  was  put  there  and  hidden  from 
sight.  "If  I  whistle  with  my  fingers,"  asked 
young  Conal,  "will  you  come  to  me.?" 

"I  will,  if  I  were  to  die  the  next  moment," 
said  the  Short  Dun  Champion. 

Conal  told  Donach  the  Druid  to  stand  at  the 
bows  of  the  ship,  then,  walking  to  the  stern,  he 
was  so  glad  at  having  his  wife  on  the  vessel,  and 
•he  going  to  fight  with  the  High  King,  that  he 
made  a  run,  seized  the  druid,  and  carried  him 
with  one  leap  to  the  strand,  eleven  miles  distant. 

The  High  King  demanded  his  wife. 

"She  is  not  your  wife,  but  mine,"  said  young 
Conal.     "I   won   her  with   my  sword,   and   you 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  ConaL         89 

stole  her  away  like  a  thief,  and  I  sleeping. 
Though  she  is  mine,  I  did  not  flee  when  I  took 
her  away  from  you." 

"It  is  time  for  battle,"  said  the  king,  and  the 
two  closed  in  combat.  The  king,  being  so  tall, 
had  the  advantage.  "  I  might  as  well  make  him 
shorter,"  thought  Conal,  and  with  one  blow  he 
cut  the  two  legs  off  the  king  at  the  knee  joints. 
The  king  fell.  No  sooner  was  he  down  than  the 
druid  had  him  tied  with  hard  cords  of  enchant- 
ment. Conal  whistled  through  his  finger.  The 
Short  Dun  Champion,  hearing  the  whistle, 
screamed  to  be  freed  from  the  ballast.  The  men 
took  him  out.  He  went  in  on  the  strand  with 
one  bound,  and  when  he  came  up  to  where  the 
High  King  was  lying,  Conal  said,  "Cut  this  man 
at  the  breast-bone,  take  out  his  heart  with  his 
liver,  and  give  them  as  food  to  my  hound  whelp. " 

"He  is  well  bound  by  your  druid;  but  firmly 
as  he  is  bound,  I  am  in  dread  to  go  near  him  to 
do  this. " 

Conal  then  drew  his  own  sword,  and  with  a 
blow  swept  the  head  off  the  High  King.  Then 
Conal,  Donach  the  Druid,  and  the  Short  Dun 
Champion  went  to  the  ship  and  sailed  homeward. 
On  their  way,  where  should  they  sail  but  along 
the  coast  of  Spain  .^  While  they  were  sailing, 
Conal  espied  three  great  castles,  and  not  far 
from  them  a  herd  of  cattle  grazing. 


90  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"Will  one  of  you  go  and  inquire  why  these 
three  castles  are  built  near  together?"  asked 
Conal  of  the  two  island  brothers. 

"I  will  go,"  said  the  elder. 

He  went  on  shore  to  the  herdsman  and  asked, 
"Why  are  those  three  castles  so  near  one 
another  ? " 

"I  will  tell  you,"  said  the  herdsman;  "but  you 
must  come  first  and  touch  my  finger-tips. " 

No  sooner  had  the  champion  done  this,  than 
the  man  drew  a  rod  of  enchantment,  struck  him 
a  blow,  and  turned  him  to  stone. 

Conal  saw  this  from  the  ship,  and  asked,  "  Who 
will  go  in  now?  " 

"I  will  go,"  said  the  second  brother.  "I  have 
the  best  right."  He  went  and  met  the  same  fate 
as  his  brother. 

"I  will  go  this  time,"  said  Conal. 

The  Yellow  King's  daughter,  Donach  the 
Druid,  and  the  Short  Dun  Champion  seized 
Conal  to  keep  him  from  going. 

"  If  I  do  not  live  but  a  moment,  I  must  go  and 
knock  satisfaction  out  of  the  herdsman  for  what 
he  has  done  to  my  men,"  cried  out  Conal.  So  he 
went,  and  walking  up  to  the  herdsman,  asked  the 
same  questions  as  the  two  brothers. 

"Come  here  and  touch  my  finger  tips." 

Conal  walked  up  to  the  herdsman,  caught  his 


Saudan  Og  and  Young  Conal.         91 

fingers,  then  ran  under  the  rod  and  seized  the 
herdsman ;  but  if  he  did,  the  herdsman  had  him 
that  moment  on  the  flat  of  his  back.  But  Conal 
was  up,  and  had  the  herdsman  down,  and,  drawing 
his  sword,  said,  "I  '11  have  your  head  now  unless 
you  tell  me  why  these  three  castles  are  here  close 
together. " 

"  I  will  tell  you,  but  do  you  remember,  young 
Conal,  when  in  our  father's  castle  how  I  used  to 
get  the  first  blow  on  you?  " 

"Are  you  my  brother.?  "  asked  Conal. 

"I  am,"  said  the  herdsman. 

"  Why  did  you  kill  my  men }  " 

"  If  I  killed  them,  I  can  raise  them ;  "  and  going 
to  the  two  brothers,  he  struck  each  a  blow,  and 
they  rose  up  as  well  and  strong  as  ever. 

"Well,"  said  the  brother  to  Conal,  "Saudan 
Og  arrived  in  Spain  the  day  before  we  did,  and 
he  had  one-third  of  the  kingdom  taken  before 
us.  We  went  against  him  the  following  day,  and 
kept  him  inside  that  third,  and  we  have  neither 
gained  nor  lost  since.  The  King  of  Spain  had 
a  castle  here;  my  father  and  the  King  of  Leinster 
built  a  second  castle  near  that;  Saudan  Og  built 
the  third  near  the  two,  for  himself  and  his  men, 
and  that  is  why  the  three  castles  are  here.  We 
are  ever  since  in  battle;  Saudan  has  the  one- 
third,  and  we  the  rest  of  Spain." 


92  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

^  Conal  arrayed  himself  as  a  champion  next 
morning,  and  went  to  Saudan's  castle.  He  struck 
a  blow  on  the  pole  of  combat  that  shook  the 
whole  kingdom,  and  that  day  he  killed  Saudan 
and  every  man  of  his  forces. 

Conal's  eldest  brother  married  the  daughter  of 
the  King  of  Spain.  He  took  the  second  brother 
with  him,  married  him  to  the  sister  of  the  two 
island  brothers,  and  gave  him  the  three  islands. 
He  went  home  then,  gave  the  kingdom  of  the 
Yellow  King  to  the  Short  Dun  Champion,  and 
had  the  two  island  brothers  well  married  to  king's 
daughters  in  Erin.  All  lived  happily  and  well; 
if  they  did  not,  may  we! 


THE  BLACK  THIEF  AND  KING  CONAL'S 
THREE   HORSES. 

T^HERE  was  a  king  once  in  Erin  who  had  a 
-*-  beautiful  queen,  and  the  queen's  heart  was 
as  good  as  her  looks.  Every  one  loved  her,  but, 
above  all,  the  poor  people.  There  wasn't  a 
needy  man  or  woman  within  a  day's  journey  of 
the  castle  who  was  not  blessing  the  beautiful 
queen.  On  a  time  this  queen  fell  ill  suddenly, 
and  said  to  the  king,  "If  I  die  and  you  marry  a 
second  wife,  leave  not  my  three  sons  to  a  strange 
woman's  rule.  Send  them  away  to  be  reared  till 
they  come  to  age  and  maturity.'' 

The  queen  died  soon  after.  The  king  mourned 
for  her  one  year  and  a  second;  then  his  chief 
men  and  counsellors  urged  him  to  seek  out  a  new 
queen. 

The  king  built  a  castle  in  a  distant  part  of 
his  kingdom,  and  put  his  three  sons  there  with 
teachers  and  servants  to  care  for  them.  He  married 
a  second  wife  then;  and  the  two  lived  on  happily 
till  the  new  wife  had  a  son.  The  young  queen 
never  knew  that  the  king  had  other  children  than 


94  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

her  son,  or  that  there  was  a  queen  in  the  king- 
dom before  her. 

On  a  day  when  the  king  was  out  hunting  in 
the  mountains,  the  queen  went  to  walk  near  the 
castle,  and  as  she  was  passing  the  cottage  of  a 
greedy  old  henwife,  she  stumbled  and  fell. 

"  May  the  like  of  that  meet  you  always ! "  said 
the  henwife. 

"  Why  do  you  say  that }  "  asked  the  queen,  who 
overheard  her. 

"  It  is  all  one  to  you  what  I  say.  It  is  little 
you  care  for  me  or  the  like  of  me.  It  was  n't 
the  same  with  the  queen  that  was  here  before 
you.  There  was  n't  a  week  that  she  did  not 
give  support  to  poor  people,  and  she  showed  kind- 
ness to  every  one  always." 

"  Had  the  king  a  wife  before  me }  "  asked  the 
queen. 

*'He  had,  indeed;  and  I  could  tell  enough  to 
keep  you  thinking  for  a  day  and  a  year,  if  you 
would  pay  me." 

"  I  will  pay  you  well  if  you  tell  all  about  the 
queen  that  was  in  it  before  me. " 

"  If  you  give  me  one  hundred  speckled  goats, 
one  hundred  sheep,  and  one  hundred  cows  I  will 
tell  you." 

"I  will  give  you  all  those,"  said  the  queen, 
"if  you  tell  everything." 


Black  Thief  and  King  ConaVs  Horses.    95 

"The  queen  that  was  here  at  first  had  three 
sons;  and  before  the  king  married  you,  he  pre- 
pared a  great  castle,  and  the  sons  are  in  that 
castle  now  with  teachers  and  men  taking  care  of 
them.  When  the  three  are  of  age,  your  son 
will  be  without  a  place  for  his  head." 

"  What  am  I  to  do  to  keep  my  son  in  the  king- 
dom }  "  asked  the  queen. 

"  Persuade  the  king  to  bring  his  three  sons  to 
the  castle,  then  play  chess  with  them.  I  will  give 
you  a  board  with  which  you  can  win.  When  you 
have  won  of  the  three  young  men,  put  them  under 
bonds  to  go  for  the  three  steeds  of  King  Conal 
for  you  to  ride  three  times  around  all  the  boun- 
daries of  the  kingdom.  Many  and  many  is  the 
champion  and  hero  who  went  for  King  Conal's 
horses;  but  not  a  man  of  them  was  seen  again, 
and  so  it  will  be  with  these  three.  Your  son 
will  be  safe  at  home,  and  will  be  king  himself 
when  his  time  comes." 

The  queen  went  home  to  the  castle,  and  if  ever 
she  had  a  head  full  of  plans  it  was  that  time. 
She  began  the  same  night  with  the  king. 

"  Is  n't  it  a  shame  for  you  to  keep  your  children 
away  from  me,  and  I  waiting  this  long  time  for 
you  to  bring  them  home  to  us }  " 

"How  am  I  keeping  my  children  from  you.?" 
asked  the  king.  "  Have  n't  you  your  own  son 
and  mine  with  you  always }  " 


96  Hero-Tales  of  Irelana. 

"  You  have  three  sons  of  your  own.  You  were 
married  before  you  saw  me.  Bring  your  children 
home.     I  will  be  as  fond  of  them  as  you  are." 

No  matter  what  the  king  said,  the  queen  kept 
up  her  complaining  with  sweet  words  and 
promises,  and  never  stopped  till  the  king  brought 
his  sons  to  the  castle. 

The  king  gave  a  great  feast  in  honor  of  the 
young  men.  After  the  feast  the  queen  played 
chess  for  a  sentence  with  the  eldest.  She  played 
twice;  won  a  game  and  lost  one.  Next  day  she 
played  one  game  with  the  second  son.  On  the 
third  day,  she  played  with  the  youngest;  won  one 
game  and  lost  one. 

On  the  fourth  day,  the  three  were  in  the  queen's 
company. 

"What  sentence  do  you  put  on  me  and  my 
brothers.?  "  asked  the  eldest. 

"  I  put  you  and  your  brothers  under  sentence 
not  to  sleep  two  nights  in  the  same  house,  nor 
to  eat  twice  off  the  same  table,  till  you  bring  me 
the  three  steeds  of  King  Conal,  so  that  I  may 
ride  three  times  around  the  kingdom." 

"Will  you  tell  me,"  asked  the  eldest  son, 
"where  to  find  King  Conal.'*" 

"There  are  four  quarters  in  the  world;  I  am 
sure  it  is  in  one  of  these  that  he  lives,"  said 
the  queen. 


Black  Thief  and  King  ConaVs  Horses,    97 

"I  might  as  well  give  you  sentence  now,"  said 
the  eldest  brother.  "  I  put  you  under  bonds  of 
enchantment  to  stand  on  the  top  of  the  castle 
and  stay  there  without  coming  down,  and  watch 
for  us  till  we  come  back  with  the  horses." 

"  Remove  from  me  your  sentence ;  I  will  remove 
mine,"  said  the  queen. 

"If  a  young  man  is  relieved  of  the  first  sen- 
tence put  on  him,  he  will  never  do  anything 
good,"  said  the  king's  son.  "We  will  go  for  the 
horses." 

Next  day  the  three  brothers  set  out  for  the 
castle  of  King  Conal.  They  travelled  one  day 
after  another,  stopping  one  night  in  one  place 
and  the  next  in  another,  and  they  were  that  way 
walking  till  one  evening,  when  whom  should 
they  meet  but  a  limping  man  in  a  black  cap. 
The  man  saluted  them,  and  they  returned  the 
salute. 

"What  brought  you  this  road,  and  where  are 
you  going.!*  '•  asked  the  stranger. 

"We  are  going  to  the  castle  of  King  Conal  to 
know  can  we  bring  his  three  horses  home  with 
us." 

"Well,"  said  the  man,  "my  house  is  nearby, 
and  the  dark  night  is  coming;  stay  with  me  till 
morning,  and  perhaps  I  can  help  you." 

The  young  men  went  with  the  stranger,  and 
7 


98  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

soon  came  to  his  house.  After  supper  the  man 
said,  "It  is  the  most  difficult  feat  in  the  world 
to  steal  King  Conal's  three  horses.  Many  a 
good  man  went  for  them,  and  never  came  back. 
Why  do  you  go  for  those  horses  t " 

"  Our  father  is  a  king  in  Erin,  and  he  married 
a  second  time.  Our  stepmother  bound  us  to 
bring  the  three  horses,  so  she  may  ride  three 
times  around  our  father's  kingdom." 

"I  will  go  with  you,"  said  the  man.  "Without 
me,  you  would  lose  your  lives;  together,  we  may 
bring  the  horses." 

Next  morning  the  four  set  out,  and  went  their 
way,  walking  one  day  after  another,  till  at  long 
last  they  reached  the  castle  of  King  Conal  at 
nightfall. 

On  that  night,  whatever  the  reason  was,  the 
guards  fell  asleep  at  the  stables.  The  stranger 
and  the  three  young  men  made  their  way  to  the 
horses;  but  if  they  did,  the  moment  they  touched 
them  the  horses  let  three  screeches  out  of  them 
that  shook  the  whole  castle  and  woke  every  man 
in  the  country  around  it. 

The  guards  seized  the  young  men  with  the 
stranger,  and  took  the  four  to  King  Conal. 

The  king  was  in  a  great  room  on  the  ground- 
floor  of  his  castle.  In  front  of  him  was  an  awfully 
big  pot  full  of  oil,  and  it  boiling. 


Black  Thief  and  King  ConaVs  Horses.    99 

"Well,"  said  the  king  when  he  saw  the  stranger 
before  him,  "only  that  the  Black  Thief  is  dead, 
I  'd  say  you  were  that  man." 

"I  am  the  Black  Thief,"  said  the  stranger. 

"We  will  know  that  in  time,"  said  the  king; 
"and  who  are  these  three  young  men?  " 

"Three  sons  of  a  king  in  Erin." 

"We  '11  begin  with  the  youngest.  But  stir  up 
the  fire  there,  one  of  you,"  said  King  Conal  to  the 
attendants;  "the  oil  is  not  hot  enough."  -And 
turning  to  the  Black  Thief,  he  asked,  "  Is  n't  that 
young  man  very  near  his  death  at  this  moment .?  " 

"I  was  nearer  death  than  he  is,  and  I  escaped," 
said  the  Black  Thief. 

"Tell  me  the  story,"  said  the  king.  "If  you 
were  nearer  death  than  he  is,  I  will  give  his 
life  to  that  young  man." 

"When  I  was  young,"  said  the  Black  Thief, 
"  I  lived  on  my  land  with  ease  and  plenty,  till 
three  witches  came  the  way,  and  destroyed  all 
my  property.  I  took  to  the  roads  and  deep 
forests  then,  and  became  the  most  famous  thief 
that  ever  lived  in  Erin.  This  is  the  story  of  the 
witches  who  robbed  and  tried  to  kill  me :  — 

"There  was  a  king  not  long  ago  in  Erin,  and 
he  had  three  beautiful  daughters.  When  they 
grew  up  to  be  old  enough  for  marriage,  they  were 
enchanted   in    the  way  that   the    three   became 


lOO  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

brazen-faced,  old-looking,  venomous  hags  every 
night,  and  were  three  beautiful,  harmless  young 
women  every  day,  as  before. 

**I  was  living  for  myself  on  my  land,  and 
had  laid  in  turf  enough  for  seven  years,  and  I 
thought  it  the  size  of  a  mountain.  I  went  out  at 
midnight,  and  what  did  I  see  but  the  hags  at 
my  reek;  and  they  never  stopped  till  they  put 
every  sod  of  the  turf  into  three  creels  on  their 
backs,  and  made  off  with  it. 

"The  following  season  I  brought  turf  for 
another  seven  years,  and  the  next  midnight  the 
witches  stole  it  all  from  me;  but  this  time  I 
followed  them.  They  went  about  five  miles,  and 
disappeared  in  a  broad  hole  twenty  fathoms  deep. 
I  waited,  then  looked  down,  and  saw  a  great  fire 
under  a  pot  with  a  whole  bullock  in  it.  There 
was  a  round  stone  at  the  mouth  of  the  hole.  I 
used  all  my  strength,  rolled  it  down,  broke  the 
pot,  and  spoiled  the  broth  on  the  witches. 

"Away  I  ran  then,  but  was  not  long  on  the 
road  when  I  saw  the  three  racing  after  me.  I 
climbed  a  tree  to  escape  from  them.  The 
witches  came  in  a  rage,  stopped  under  the  tree, 
and  looked  up  at  me.  The  eldest  rested  awhile, 
then  made  a  sharp  axe  of  the  second,  and  a 
venomous  hound  of  the  third,  to  destroy  me. 
She  took  the  axe  herself  then,   gave  one  blow 


Black  Thief  and  King  Conal  's  I/orses.    i  o  i 

of  it,  and  cut  one-third  of  the  tree ;  she  gave  a 
second  blow,  and  cut  another  third ;  she  had  the 
axe  raised  a  third  time  when  a  cock  crowed,  and 
there  before  my  eyes  the  axe  turned  into  a  beau- 
tiful woman,  the  hag  who  had  raised  it  into  a 
second,  and  the  venomous  hound  into  a  third. 
The  three  walked  away  then,  harmless  and  inno- 
cent as  any  young  women  in  Erin.  Was  n't  I 
nearer  death  that  time  than  this  young  man.? " 

"Oh,  you  were,"  said  the  king;  "I  give  him 
his  life,  and  it  *s  his  brother  that  *s  near  death 
now.      He  has  but  ten  minutes  to  live." 

"Well,  I  was  nearer  death  than  that  young 
man,"  said  the  Black  Thief. 

"Tell  how  it  was.  If  you  convince  me,  I  '11 
give  him  his  life,  too. " 

"  After  I  broke  their  pot,  the  witches  destroyed 
my  property  night  after  night,  and  I  had  to  leave 
that  place  and  find  my  support  on  the  roads  and 
in  forests.  I  was  faring  well  enough  till  a  year 
of  hunger  and  want  came.  I  went  out  once  into 
a  great  wood,  walked  up  and  down  to  know  could 
I  find  any  food  to  take  home  to  my  wife  and 
my  children. 

"  I  found  an  old  white  horse  and  a  cow  without 
horns.  I  tied  the  tails  of  the  two  to  each  other, 
and  was  driving  them  home  for  myself  with  great 
labor;  for  when  the  white  horse  pulled  backward, 


I02  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

the  cow  would  pull  forward,  and  when  the  horse 
tried  to  go  on,  the  cow  would  n't  go  with  him. 
They  were  that  way  in  disagreement  till  they 
drew  the  night  on  themselves  and  on  me.  I  had 
a  bit  of  flint  in  my  pocket,  and  put  down  a  fire. 
I  could  not  make  my  way  out  of  the  wood  in  the 
night-time,  and  sat  down  by  the  fire.  I  was  not 
long  sitting  when  thirteen  cats,  wild  and  enor- 
mous, stood  out  before  me.  Of  these,  twelve  were 
each  the  bulk  of  a  man;  the  thirteenth,  a  red 
one,  the  master  of  the  twelve,  was  much  larger. 
They  began  to  purr  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
fire,  and  make  a  noise  like  the  rumbling  of  thun- 
der. At  last  the  big  red  cat  lifted  his  head, 
opened  his  wide  eyes,  and  said  to  me,  *I  '11  be 
this  way  no  longer;  give  me  something  to  eat.*  " 

"  I  have  nothing  to  give  you,"  said  I,  ''unless 
you  take  that  white  horse  below  there  and  kill 
him." 

"  He  went  down  then,  and  made  two  halves  of 
the  horse,  left  half  to  the  twelve,  and  ate  the 
other  half  himself.  They  picked  every  bone,  and 
were  not  long  at  it. 

"  The  thirteen  came  up  again,  sat  opposite  me 
at  the  fire,  and  were  purring.  The  big  red  cat 
soon  spoke  a  second  time,  'I'll  not  be  long 
this  way.  Give  me  more  food  to  satisfy  my 
hunger.  * 


Black  Thief  and  King  ConaV s  Horses,    103 

"  *  I  have  nothing  to  give  unless  you  take  the 
cow  without  horns,'  replied  I. 

"  He  made  two  halves  of  the  cow,  ate  one-half 
himself,  and  left  the  other  to  the  twelve.  While 
they  were  eating  the  cow,  I  took  off  my  coat,  for 
I  knew  what  was  coming,  wrapped  it  around  a 
block  which  I  made  like  myself,  and  then  climbed 
a  tree  quickly.  The  red  cat  came  up  to  the  fire  a 
third  time,  opened  his  great  eyes,  looked  toward 
my  coat,  and  said,  *  I  '11  not  be  long  this  way; 
give  me  more  food.  * 

"  My  coat  gave  no  answer.  The  big  cat  sprang 
at  it,  struck  the  block  with  his  tail,  and  found 
it  was  wood. 

"'Ah,'  said  he,  'you  are  gone;  but  whether 
above  ground  or  under  ground,  we  will  find  you. ' 

"  He  put  six  cats  above  and  six  under  ground 
to  find  me.  The  twelve  cats  were  gone  in  a 
breath.  The  big  red  cat  sat  there  waiting;  and 
when  the  other  twelve  had  run  through  all  Erin, 
above  ground  and  under  ground,  and  come  back 
to  the  fire,  he  looked  up,  saw  me,  and  cried, 
*  Ah,  there  you  are,  you  deceiver.  You  thought 
to  escape,  but  you  will  not.  Come,  now,'  said 
he  to  the  cats,  *  and  gnaw  down  this  tree.' 

"The  twelve  sprang  at  the  tree  under  me,  and 
they  were  not  long  cutting  it  through.  Before 
it  fell,  I  escaped  to  another  tree  near  by,  and  they 


I04  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

attacked  that,  gnawing  it  down.  I  sprang  to  a 
third.  We  were  that  way,  I  escaping  and  they 
cutting,  till  near  daybreak,  when  I  was  on  the 
last  tree  next  the  open  country.  When  the  tree 
was  half  cut,  what  should  come  the  way  but  thir- 
teen terrible  wolves,  —  twelve,  and  a  thirteenth 
above  them,  their  master.  They  fell  upon  the 
cats,  and  fought  desperately  a  good  while.  At 
length  the  twelve  on  each  side  were  stretched, 
but  the  two  chiefs  were  fighting  each  other  yet. 
At  last  the  wolf  nearly  took  the  head  off  the  cat 
with  one  snap;  the  cat  whirled  in  falling,  struck 
the  wolf  with  the  sharp  hook  in  his  tail,  made 
two  halves  of  his  skull,  and  the  two  fell  dead, 
side  by  side. 

"I  slipped  down  then,  but  the  tree  shook  in 
the  way  that  I  was  in  dread  it  would  tumble 
beneath  me,  but  it  didn't.  Now,  wasn't  I 
nearer  death  that  time  than  this  young  man.!*" 

"Oh,  you  were,"  said  King  Conal.  "He's 
not  near  death  at  all,  for  I  give  his  life  to  him; 
but  if  the  two  have  escaped,  we  '11  put  the  third 
man  in  the  pot ;  and  have  you  ever  seen  any  one 
nearer  death  than  he  is }  " 

"I  was  nearer  myself,"  said  the  Black  Thief. 

"If  you  were,  I  will  give  his  life  to  this  young 
man  as  well  as  his  brothers." 

"I  had  apprentices  in  my  time,"  said  the  Black 


Black  Thief  and  King  ConaVs  Horses.    105 

Thief.  "  Among  them  was  one,  a  young  man  of 
great  wit,  and  he  pleased  me.  I  gave  no  real 
learning  to  any  but  this  one;  and  in  the  heel 
of  the  story  he  was  a  greater  man  than  myself,  — 
in  his  own  mind.  There  was  a  giant  in  the  other 
end  of  the  kingdom;  he  lived  in  a  mountain  den, 
and  had  great  wealth  gathered  in  there.  I  made 
up  my  mind  to  go  with  the  apprentice,  and  take 
that  giant's  treasures.  We  travelled  many  days 
till  we  reached  the  mountain  den.  We  hid,  and 
watched  the  ways  of  the  giant.  He  went  out 
every  day,  brought  back  many  things,  but  often 
men's  bodies.  At  last  we  went  to  the  place  in 
his  absence.  There  was  only  one  entrance,  from 
the  top.  I  was  lowering  the  young  man  with 
a  rope,  but  when  halfway  to  the  bottom  he  called 
out  as  if  in  pain.  I  drew  him  up.  *  I  am  in 
dread,  *  said  he,  *  to  go  down  in  that  place.  Go 
yourself.     I  will  do  the  work  here  for  you. ' 

"  I  went  down,  found  gold  and  precious  things 
in  plenty,  and  sent  up  what  one  man  could  carry. 
*  I  will  go  out  of  this  now, '  thought  I,  *  before 
the  giant  comes  on  me.'  I  called  to  the  appren- 
tice; no  answer.  I  called  again;  not  a  word 
from  him.     At  last  he  looked  down  and  said,  — 

"  *  You  gave  me  good  learning,  and  I  am  grate- 
ful; I  will  gain  my  own  living  from  this  out.  I 
hope  you  '11  spend  a  pleasant  night  with  the 
giant. ' 


io6  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"With  that,  he  made  off  with  himself,  and 
carried  the  treasure.  Oh,  but  I  was  in  trouble 
then!  How  was  I  to  bring  my  life  home  with 
me?  How  was  I  to  escape  from  the  giant?  I 
looked,  but  found  no  way  of  escape.  In  one 
corner  of  the  giant's  kitchen  were  bodies  brought 
in  from  time  to  time.  I  lay  down  with  these, 
and  seemed  dead.  I  was  watching.  After  a 
while  I  heard  a  great  noise  at  the  entrance,  and 
soon  the  giant  came  in  carrying  three  bodies; 
these  he  threw  aside  with  the  others.  He  put 
down  a  great  fire  then,  and  placed  a  pot  on  it :  he 
brought  a  basket  to  the  bodies,  and  began  to  fill 
it;  me  he  threw  in  first,  and  put  six  bodies  on  the 
top  of  me.  He  turned  the  basket  bottom  upward 
over  the  pot,  and  six  bodies  fell  in.  I  held  firmly 
to  my  place.  The  giant  put  the  basket  aside 
in  a  corner  bottom  upward,  —  I  was  saved  that 
time.  When  the  supper  was  ready,  the  giant  ate 
the  six  bodies,  and  then  lay  down  and  slept 
soundly.  I  crept  from  under  the  basket,  went 
to  the  entrance;  a  tree  trunk,  standing  upright  in 
the  wall  at  one  end  of  it,  was  turned  around. 
There  were  steps  in  its  side  from  bottom  to  top; 
this  was  the  giant's  ladder.  Whenever  the  giant 
wished  to  go  up,  he  turned  the  tree  till  the  steps 
came  outside;  and  when  on  top,  he  turned  it  till 
the  smooth  side  was  out  in  the  way  no  one  could 


Black  Thief  and  King  Conal  's  Horses,    1 07 

go  down  in  his  absence.  When  he  wished  to 
go  down,  he  turned  the  steps  out ;  and  when  at 
the  bottom,  he  turned  them  in  again  in  the  way 
no  one  could  follow  him.  This  time  he  forgot 
to  turn  the  tree,  and  that  gave  me  the  ladder. 
I  went  up  without  trouble ;  and,  by  my  hand,  I 
was  glad,  for  I  was  much  nearer  death  at  the  giant's 
pot  than  this  man  at  yours." 

"You  were,  indeed,  very  near  death,"  said 
King  Conal,  "and  I  give  his  life  to  the  third 
man.  The  turn  is  on  you  now;  the  three  young 
men  are  safe,  and  it 's  you  that  will  go  into  the 
pot." 

"Must  I  die.?  "  asked  the  Black  Thief. 

"You  must,  indeed,"  said  King  Conal,  "and 
you  are  very  near  death." 

"Near  as  I  am,"  said  the  Black  Thief,  "I  was 
nearer. " 

"Tell  me  the  story;  and  if  you  were  ever 
nearer  death  than  you  are  at  this  minute,  I  will 
give  your  life  to  you." 

"I  set  out  another  day,"  said  the  Black  Thief, 
"and  travelled  far.  I  came  at  last  to  a  house, 
and  went  into  it.  Inside  was  a  woman  with  a 
child  on  her  knee,  a  knife  in  her  hand,  and  she 
crying.  Twice  she  made  an  offer  of  the  knife 
at  the  child  to  kill  it.  The  beautiful  child 
laughed,  and  held  out  its  hands  to  her. 


io8  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 


*"  Why  do  you  raise  the  knife  on  the  child,  * 
asked  I,  *  and  why  are  you  crying?  ' 

" '  I  was  at  a  fair, '  said  the  woman,  *  last  year 
with  my  father  and  mother;  and  while  the  people 
were  busy  each  with  his  own  work,  three  giants 
came  in  on  a  sudden.  The  man  who  had  a  bite 
of  bread  in  his  hand  did  not  put  the  bread  to  his 
mouth,  and  the  man  who  had  a  bite  in  his  mouth 
did  not  swallow  it.  The  giants  robbed  this  one 
and  that,  took  me  from  my  father  and  mother, 
and  brought  me  to  this  place.  I  bound  them, 
and  they  promised  that  none  of  the  three  would 
marry  me  before  I  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 
I  '11  be  that  in  a  few  days,  and  there  is  no  escape 
for  me  now  unless  I  raise  hands  on  myself. 

"*  Yesterday  the  giants  brought  this  child; 
they  said  it  was  the  son  of  some  king,  and  told 
me  to  have  it  cooked  and  prepared  in  a  pie  for 
their  supper  this  evening. ' 

"'  Spare  the  child,'  said  I.  '  I  have  a  young 
pig  that  I  brought  to  roast  for  myself  on  the 
road;  take  that,  and  prepare  it  instead  of  the 
child.' 

"  *  The  giants  would  know  the  pig,  and  kill  me, ' 
said  the  woman. 

"'They  would  not,'  said  I;  *  there  is  only  a 
small  difference  between  the  flesh  of  a  young 
pig  and  a  child.     We  will  cut  off  the  first  joint 


Black  Thief  and  King  Conal  's  Horses.    1 09 

of  the  left  little  finger.  If  they  make  a  remark, 
show  them  that. ' 

"  She  cooked  the  pie,  and  I  watched  outside 
for  the  giants.  At  last  I  saw  the  three  coming. 
She  hid  the  child  in  a  safe  place  aside;  and  I 
went  to  the  cellar,  where  I  found  many  dead 
bodies.  I  lay  down  among  them,  and  waited. 
When  the  giants  came  home,  the  eldest  ate  the 
pie,  and  called  to  the  woman,  'That  would  be 
very  good  if  we  had  enough  of  it.'  Then  he 
turned  to  his  second  brother,  and  sent  him  down 
to  the  cellar  to  bring  a  slice  from  one  of  the 
bodies.  The  brother  came  down,  took  hold  of 
one  body,  then  another,  and,  catching  me,  cut  a 
slice  from  the  end  of  my  back,  and  went  up  with 
it.  He  was  not  long  gone  when  he  came  down 
again,  raised  me  on  his  back,  and  turned  to  take 
me  with  him.  He  had  not  gone  many  steps  when 
I  sent  my  knife  to  his  heart,  and  there  he  fell 
on  his  face  under  me.  I  went  back,  and  lay  in 
my  old  place. 

"  The  chief  giant,  who  had  tasted  my  flesh  and 
was  anxious  for  more  of  it,  now  sent  the  youngest 
brother.  He  came,  saw  the  middle  brother  lying 
there,  and  cried  out,  — 

"*0h,  but  you  are  the  lazy  messenger,  to  be 
sleeping  when  sent  on  an  errand ! ' 

**  With  that,  he  raised  me  on  his  back,  and  was 


no  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

going,  when  I  stabbed  him  and  stretched  him  on 
the  ground  not  far  from  his  brother. 

"  The  big  giant  waited  and  waited,  grew  angry, 
took  his  great  iron  club  with  nine  lumps  and 
nine  hooks  on  it.  He  hurried  down  to  the  cellar, 
saw  his  two  brothers,  shook  them,  found  them 
dead.  I  had  no  chance  of  life  but  to  fight  for  it ; 
I  rose  and  stood  a  fair  distance  in  front  of  the 
giant.  He  ran  toward  me,  raised  the  club,  and 
brought  it  down  with  what  strength  there  was  in 
him.  I  stepped  aside  quickly;  the  club  sank  in 
the  earth  to  the  depth  of  a  common  man's  knee. 
While  the  giant  was  drawing  the  club  with  both 
hands,  I  stabbed  him  three  times  in  the  stomach, 
and  sprang  away  to  some  distance.  He  ran  for- 
ward a  second  time,  and  came  very  near  hitting 
me;  again  the  club  sank  in  the  ground,  and  I 
stabbed  him  four  times,  for  he  was  weaker  from 
blood  loss,  and  was  a  longer  time  freeing  the 
club.  The  third  time  the  club  grazed  me,  and 
tore  my  whole  side  with  a  sharp  iron  hook.  The 
giant  fell  to  his  knees,  but  could  neither  rise 
nor  make  a  cast  of  the  club  at  me ;  soon  he  was 
on  his  elbow,  gnashing  his  teeth  and  raging.  I 
was  growing  weaker,  and  knew  that  I  was  lost 
unless  some  one  assisted  me.  The  young  woman 
had  come  down,  and  was  present  at  the  struggle. 
*  Run  now,'  said  I  to  her,  *  for  the  giant's  sword, 


Black  Thief  and  King  Conal  's  Horses,    1 1 1 

and  take  the  head  off  him.'  She  ran  quickly, 
brought  the  sword,  and  as  brave  as  a  man  took 
the  head  off  the  giant. 

"  *  Death  is  not  far  from  me  now, '  said  I. 

"*I  will  carry  you  quickly  to  the  giant's 
caldron  of  cure,  and  give  you  life,'  said  the 
woman. 

"  With  that,  she  raised  me  on  her  back,  and 
hurried  out  of  the  cellar.  When  she  had  me 
on  the  edge  of  the  caldron,  the  death  faint  was 
on  me,  I  was  dying;  but  I  was  not  long  in  the 
pot  when  I  revived,  and  soon  was  as  well  as 
ever. 

"  We  searched  the  whole  house  of  the  giants, 
found  all  their  treasures.  I  gave  some  to  the 
woman,  kept  some  myself,  and  hid  the  remainder. 
I  took  the  woman  home  to  her  father  and  mother. 
She  kept  the  child,  which  was  well  but  for  the  tip 
of  its  little  finger.  Now  was  n't  T  nearer  death 
that  time  than  I  was  when  I  began  this  story?  " 

"You  were,  indeed,"  said  King  Conal;  "and 
even  if  you  were  not,  I  would  not  put  you  in  the 
pot,  for  if  you  had  not  been  in  the  house  of  the 
three  giants  that  day  there  would  be  no  sign  of  me 
now  in  this  castle.  I  was  that  child.  Look  here 
at  my  left  little  finger.  My  father  searched  for 
you,  and  so  did  I  when  I  grew  up,  but  we  could 
not  find  you.     We  made  out  only  one  thing,  that 


1 1 2  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland. 

it  was  the  Black  Thief  who  saved  me.  Men  told 
me  that  the  Black  Thief  was  dead,  and  I  never 
hoped  to  see  you.  A  hundred  thousand  wel- 
comes! Now  we'll  have  a  feast.  The  three 
young  men  will  get  the  three  horses  for  your 
sake,  and  take  them  home  after  we  have  feasted 
together.  You  will  stay  with  me  now  for  the 
rest  of  your  life." 

"  I  must  go  with  the  young  men  as  far  as  my 
own  house,"  said  the  Black  Thief;  **then  I'll 
come  back  to  you." 

King  Conal  made  a  feast  the  like  of  which  had 
never  been  in  his  kingdom.  When  the  feast  was 
over,  he  gave  the  three  horses  to  the  young  men, 
and  said  at  parting,  "When  you  have  done  the 
work  with  the  horses,  let  them  go,  and  they  will 
run  home  to  me;  no  man  could  stop  them." 

"We  will  do  that,"  said  the  brothers. 

They  set  out  then  with  them,  stopped  one 
night  with  the  Black  Thief  at  his  house,  and 
after  that  travelled  home  to  their  father,  and 
stood  in  front  of  the  castle.  The  stepmother 
was  above,  watching  for  them.  She  was  glad 
when  she  saw  them,  and  said,  "Ye  brought  the 
horses,  and  I  am  to  have  them." 

"If  we  were  bound  to  bring  the  horses,"  said 
the  elder  brother,  "we  were  not  bound  to  give 
them  to  you." 


Black  Thief  and  King  Conal  's  Horses.    1 1 3 

With  that,  he  turned  the  horses'  heads  from 
the  castle,  and  let  them  go.  They  ran  home  to 
King  Conal. 

"I  will  go  down  now,"  said  the  queen,  "and  it 
is  time  for  me." 

"You  will  not  go  yet,"  said  the  youngest;  "I 
have  a  sentence  which  I  had  no  time  to  give 
when  we  were  going.  I  put  you  under  sentence 
to  stay  where  you  are  till  you  find  three  sons  of 
a  king  to  go  again  to  King  Conal  for  the  horses." 

When  she  heard  that  sentence,  she  dropped 
dead  from  the  castle. 


THE    KING'S     SON    FROM    ERIN,    THE 
SPRISAWN,  AND  THE  DARK  KING. 

THERE  was  a  king  in  Erin  long  ago  who 
was  called  King  of  Lochlinn,  and  his  wife 
died.  He  had  two  sons.  The  elder  of  the  two 
was  Miach  Lay;  the  second  was  Manus.  Miach 
Lay  was  a  fine  champion,  and  trained  in  every 
art  that  befitted  a  king's  son. 

One  day  the  father  called  Miach  Lay  to  his 
presence,  and  said,  "  It  is  time  for  you  to  marry, 
and  I  have  chosen  for  you  a  maiden  of  great 
beauty  and  high  birth." 

"I  am  willing  to  marry,"  said  Miach  Lay. 

The  king  and  his  son  then  left  the  castle,  and 
went  to  the  house  of  the  young  woman's  father, 
and  there  they  spent  seven  days  and  seven 
nights.  On  their  way  home,  the  king  said  to 
his  son,  "How  do  you  like  the  young  lady.? " 

**I  like  her  well,  but  I  '11  not  marry  her." 

"  Oh,  my  shame !  "  said  the  father.  "  How  can 
I  ever  face  those  people  a  second  time?  ** 

"I  cannot  help  that,"  said  Miach  Lay. 


Kings  Son,  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King,    1 1 5 

The  king  was  greatly  confused.  After  another 
while  he  said  to  his  son,  "  I  have  another  maiden 
chosen  for  you,  and  it  is  well  for  us  to  go  to  her 
father's,  and  settle  the  match." 

"I  am  willing,"  said  Miach  Lay. 

They  went  away  together,  and  never  stopped 
nor  stayed  till  they  reached  the  house  of  the 
young  lady's  father.  They  were  welcomed  there 
warmly,  and  spent  seven  days  and  seven  nights, 
and  were  better  attended  each  day  than  the  day 
before. 

"Well,  my  son,"  asked  the  father,  "how  do 
you  like  this  match }  " 

"Well,  and  very  well,"  said  Miach  Lay;  "but  I 
will  not  marry  this  lady  either.  She  is  ten  times 
better  than  the  first;  and  if  I  had  married  the 
first,  I  could  not  marry  this  one,  and  so  I  will 
not  marry  the  second  any  more  than  the  first 
lady." 

"  Oh,  my  shame !  "  said  the  father.  "  I  can 
never  show  my  face  to  these  people  again." 

After  another  while  the  king  told  Miach  Lay 
that  he  had  a  better  lady  than  ever  selected, 
and  asked  him  to  go  with  him  to  arrange  the 
marriage. 

"I  am  willing,"  answered  the  son. 

The  two  went  to  the  father  of  the  maiden; 
they  spent  seven  days  and  seven  nights  at  his 


ii6  Hero-Tales  of  IreCancr, 

house,  and  were  fully  satisfied  with  everything. 
They  were  on  the  way  home  a  third  time. 
"Well,"  said  the  king,  "you  have  no  reason  to 
refuse  this  time." 

"Well,  and  very  well,  do  I  like  the  match," 
said  Miach  Lay;  "but  I  will  not  marry  this  lady. 
If  I  had  married  the  first  lady,  I  should  have  had 
no  chance  of  getting  the  second,  and  the  second 
is  ten  times  better  than  the  first;  if  I  had  mar- 
ried the  second  lady,  I  should  have  had  no  chance 
of  this  one,  and  she  is  twenty  times  better  than 
the  second." 

"I  have  lost  all  patience  with  you,"  said  the 
king,  "and  I  turn  the  back  of  my  hand  to  you 
from  this  out." 

"I  *m  fully  satisfied,"  said  Miach  Lay,  so  they 
came  home,  and  passed  that  night  without  con- 
versation. The  following  morning,  when  Miach 
Lay  rose,  he  said  to  his  father,  "  I  am  for  leav- 
ing the  house  now;  will  you  prepare  for  me  the 
best  ship  that  you  have,  and  put  in  it  a  good 
store  of  provisions  for  a  long  voyage.^" 

The  vessel  was  prepared,  and  fully  provisioned 
for  a  day  and  a  year.  The  king's  son  went  on 
board,  sailed  out  of  the  harbor,  and  off  to  sea. 
He  never  stopped  sailing  till  he  entered  a  harbor 
in  the  kingdom  of  Greece.  There  was  a  guard 
there  on  watch  at  the  harbor  with  a  keen  eye 


Kings  Son,  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King,    1 1 7 

on  all  ships  that  were  passing  or  coming.  The 
King  of  Greece  was  at  war  in  that  time  with  the 
King  of  Spain,  and  knew  not  what  moment  his 
kingdom  would  be  invaded. 

The  guard  saw  the  vessel  coming  when  she 
was  so  small  to  the  eye  that  he  could  not  tell 
was  it  a  bird  or  a  vessel  that  he  was  looking  at. 
He  took  quick  tidings  to  the  castle;  and  the 
king  ordered  him  to  go  a  second  time  and  bring 
tidings.  When  he  reached  the  sea,  the  ship 
was  inside,  in  the  harbor. 

*' Oh,"  said  the  king,  when  the  guard  ran  to  him 
a  second  time,  "that  is  a  wonderful  vessel  that 
was  so  far  away  a  few  minutes  ago  as  not  to  be 
told  from  a  bird,  and  is  now  sailing  into  harbor." 

"There  is  but  one  man  to  be  seen  on  board," 
said  the  guard. 

In  front  of  the  king's  castle  was  the  landing- 
place,  the  only  one  of  the  harbor;  and  even  there 
no  one  went  beyond  the  shore  without  passing 
through  a  gate  where  every  man  had  to  give  an 
account  of  himself.  There  was  a  chosen  cham- 
pion guarding  the  gate,  who  spoke  to  Miach 
Lay,  and  asked,  "Who  are  you,  and  from  what 
country?" 

"  It  is  not  the  custom  for  a  man  of  my  people  to 
answer  a  question  like  that  till  he  is  told  first  what 
country  he  is  in,  and  who  asks  the  question. " 


1 1 8  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland. 

**It  was  I  asked  the  question,"  said  the  cham- 
pion; "and  you  must  tell  me  who  you  are,  first 
of  all." 

"I  will  not  tell  you,"  said  Miach  Lay.  With 
that,  he  drew  his  ship  nearer  land  till  it  grounded ; 
then,  taking  an  oar,  he  put  the  blade  end  in  the 
sand,  and  sprang  to  shore.  He  asked  then  the 
champion  at  the  gate  to  let  him  pass,  but  the 
champion  refused.  Miach  Lay  raised  his  hand, 
gave  him  a  blow  on  the  ear,  and  sent  him  back- 
ward spinning  like  a  top,  till  he  struck  the  pillar 
of  the  gate  and  broke  his  skull.  As  Miach  Lay 
had  no  thought  to  kill  the  man,  he  was  grieved, 
and,  delaying  a  short  time,  went  to  the  castle  of 
the  king,  not  knowing  what  country  he  was  in  or 
what  city. 

When  he  came  to  the  castle,  he  knelt  down  in 
front  of  it.  The  people  in  the  castle  saw  a 
young  champion  with  bared  head  outside;  the 
king  came  out,  and  asked  what  trouble  was  on 
him.  Miach  Lay  told  of  all  that  had  happened 
at  the  harbor,  and  how  he  had  killed  the  cham- 
pion at  the  gate  without  wishing  it. 

"Never  mind  that,"  said  the  king. 

"I  did  not  intend  to  kill  or  harm  him  at  all," 
said  Miach  Lay;  "he  wanted  to  know  who  I  was, 
and  from  what  country.  By  the  custom  of  my 
land,  I  cannot  tell  that  till  I  know  where  I  am. 


Kings  Son,  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King.    119 

and   who    are    the    people    among   whom    I   am 
travelling." 

"  Do  you  know  now  where  you  are  ?  " 
"I  do  not,"  answered  Miach  Lay. 
"  You  are  in  front  of  the  castle  of  the  King  of 
Greece,  and  I  am  that  king. " 

"  I  am  the  son  of  the  King  of  Lochlinn  from 
Erin,"  said  Miach  Lay,  "and  have  come  this  way 
to  seek  my  fortune." 

The  King  of  Greece  welcomed  him  then,  took 
the  young  champion  by  the  hand,  and  did  not 
stop  till  he  brought  him  to  where  all  the  princes 
and  nobles  were  assembled ;  he  was  rejoiced  at 
his  coming,  for,  being  at  war,  he  expected  aid 
from  this  champion. 

"Will  you  remain  with  me  for  a  day  and  a 
year,"  asked  the  king,  "and  perform  what  ser- 
vice I  ask  of  you.?  " 
"I  will,"  said  Miach  Lay. 
Manus,  the  second  son  of  the  King  of  Loch- 
linn, stopped  going  to  school  when  Miach  Lay, 
his  elder  brother,  left  home,  and,  after  a  time, 
the  father  wished  him  to  marry.  As  the  elder 
son  had  acted,  so  did  the  second;  he  refused  to 
marry  each  of  the  three  maidens  whom  the  king 
had  chosen,  and  left  his  father  at  last. 

Manus  was  watching  when  his  brother  sailed 
away,  and  noticed  the  course  of  the  vessel,  so 
now  he  sailed  the  same  way. 


120  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland, 

Miach  Lay  was  gaining  favor  continually;  and 
just  as  the  day  and  the  year  of  his  service  were 
out  to  a  month,  the  king's  guard  saw  a  vessel 
sailing  in  swiftly.  He  ran  with  tidings  to  the 
king,  and  added,  "There  is  only  one  man  on 
board." 

The  king  and  the  nobles  said  it  was  best  not 
to  let  him  land  till  he  gave  an  account  of  him- 
self. Miach  Lay  was  sent  to  the  landing-place 
to  get  account  of  him. 

He  was  not  long  at  the  landing-place  when  the 
vessel  came  within  hailing,  and  Miach  Lay  asked 
the  one  man  on  board  who  was  he  and  from  what 
land  he  came.  The  man  would  not  tell,  as  it 
was  not  the  custom  in  his  country.  "But,"  said 
he,  "I  want  something  to  eat." 

"There  is  plenty  here,"  said  Miach  Lay;  "but 
if  there  is,  you  will  get  none  of  it,  —  you  would 
better  be  sailing  away." 

"I  have  enough  of  the  sea;  I  '11  come  in." 

He  put  down  the  blade  of  his  oar,  and  sprang 
ashore.  No  sooner  had  he  touched  land  than  he 
was  grappled  by  Miach  Lay.  As  neither  man 
knew  the  other,  they  were  in  hand  grips  all  day. 
They  were  nearly  equal  in  strength,  but  at  last 
Miach  Lay  was  getting  the  worst  of  it.  He 
asked  Manus  for  a  truce. 

"I  will  grant  you  that,"  said  Manus;  "but  you 
do  not  deserve  it,  for  you  began  the  battle." 


Kings  Son,  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King.    1 2 1 

They  sat  apart  then,  and  Miach  Lay  asked, 
"How  long  can  you  hold  out?  " 

"It  is  getting  stronger  and  braver  I  am," 
replied  Manus. 

"Not  so  with  me.  I  could  not  hold  out  five 
minutes  longer,"  said  Miach  Lay.  "My  bones 
were  all  falling  asunder,  and  I  thought  the  earth 
was  trembling  beneath  me.  Till  this  day  I 
thought  to  myself,  *  There  is  no  champion  I 
cannot  conquer. '  Now  tell  me  your  name  and 
your  country." 

"I  am  from  Erin  and  a  son  of  the  King  of 
Lochlinn,"  said  Manus. 

"Oh,"  said  Miach  Lay,  "you  are  my  brother." 

"Are  you  Miach  Lay.?  "  inquired  Manus. 

"lam." 

They  embraced  each  other,  and  sat  down  then 
to  eat.  Miach  Lay  was  so  tired  that  he  could 
taste  nothing,  but  Manus  ate  his  fill.  Then  they 
went  arm  in  arm  to  the  castle.  The  king  and  all 
the  nobles  of  Greece  had  seen  the  combat  from 
the  castle,  and  were  surprised  to  see  the  men 
coming  toward  them  in  such  friendliness,  and  all 
went  out  to  know  the  reason.  The  king  asked 
Miach  Lay,  "  How  is  all  this.?  " 

"This  man  is  my  brother,"  said  Miach  Lay. 
"I  left  him  at  home  in  Erin,  and  did  not  know 
him  at  the  harbor  till  after  the  combat." 


122  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland^ 

The  king  was  well  pleased  that  he  had  another 
champion.  The  following  day  Manus  saw  the 
king's  daughter,  and  fell  in  love  with  her  and 
she  with  him.  Then  the  daughter  told  the  king 
if  she  did  not  get  Manus  as  husband,  the  life 
would  leave  her. 

The  king  called  Miach  Lay  to  his  presence, 
and  asked,  "  Will  you  let  your  brother  marry  my 
daughter?  " 

"  If  Manus  wishes  to  marry  her,  I  am  willing 
and  satisfied,"  answered  Miach  Lay.  He  asked 
his  brother,  and  Manus  said  he  would  marry  the 
king's  daughter. 

The  marriage  was  celebrated  without  delay,  and 
there  was  a  wedding  feast  for  three  days  and 
three  nights ;  and  the  third  night,  when  they  were 
going  to  their  own  chamber,  the  king  said,  "This 
is  the  third  husband  married  to  my  daughter,  and 
after  the  first  night  no  tidings  could  be  had  of 
the  other  two,  and  from  that  time  to  this  no  one 
knows  where  they  are. " 

Miach  Lay  was  greatly  enraged  that  the  king 
had  permitted  the  marriage  without  mentioning 
this  matter  first. 

"I  will  do  to-night,"  said  the  king,  "what  has 
never  been  done  hitherto;  I  will  place  sentries 
all  around  the  grounds,  and  my  daughter  and 
Manus  will  not  lodge  in  the  castle  at  all,  but  in 
one  of  the  houses  apart  from  it. " 


Kings  Son,  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King,    123 

"I  '11  watch  myself,"  said  Miach  Lay;  "and  if 
it  is  the  devil  that  is  taking  the  husbands,  I  '11 
not  let  him  take  my  brother." 

Sentries  were  stationed  in  all  parts;  a  house 
was  prepared  in  the  courtyard.  Miach  Lay  stood 
on  guard  at  the  entrance  all  the  time.  Soon 
after  midnight  a  gust  of  wind  blew  through  the 
yard;  it  blew  Miach  Lay  to  the  ground,  and  he 
fainted.  When  he  recovered,  he  rushed  to  search 
for  his  brother,  but  he  was  not  in  his  chamber. 
He  then  roused  the  king's  daughter,  and  asked, 
"  Where  is  my  brother  t  " 

"I  cannot  tell  where  he  is,"  said  she:  "it  is 
you  who  were  on  guard;  it  is  you  who  should 
know  where  to  find  him." 

"  I  will  have  your  head,  wicked  woman,  unless 
you  give  tidings  of  my  brother." 

"Do  not  take  my  head;  it  would  not  serve 
you.  I  have  no  account  of  what  happened  to 
your  brother." 

Miach  Lay  then  refrained  from  touching  her, 
and  waited  till  morning.  The  king  came  in  the 
morning  to  see  was  Manus  well;  and  when  Miach 
Lay  saw  him,  he  ran  at  him  to  destroy  him,  but 
the  king  fled  away.  After  a  while,  when  the 
household  was  roused,  the  king's  daughter  was 
brought  in  and  asked  where  was  her  husband,  or 
could  she  give  any  account  of  him. 


124  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"I  cannot  tell,"  replied  she;  "but  one  day 
before  I  was  married  the  first  time,  something 
came  to  my  chamber  window  in  the  form  of  a 
black  bee,  and  asked  would  I  let  it  in.  I  said 
that  I  would  not.  The  bee  remained  outside  all 
the  day,  watching  to  see  could  it  enter  my  cham- 
ber. I  did  not  let  it  come  in ;  before  going  away 
in  the  evening,  the  black  bee  said,  *  Well,  I  will 
worry  the  heart  in  you  yet. '  " 

The  king's  old  druid,  who  was  present,  slapped 
his  knee  with  his  hand,  and  said,  "I  know  the 
story  now;  that  was  Ri  Doracha  (the  Dark  King). 
He  is  a  mighty  magician,  and  it  is  he  who  has 
taken  the  husbands." 

"I  will  travel  the  world  till  I  find  my  lost 
brother,"  said  Miach  Lay. 

"I  will  go  with  you,  and  take  all  my  forces," 
said  Red  Bow,  the  son  of  the  King  of  Greece. 

"I  need  no  assistance,"  said  Miach  Lay.  "If 
I  myself  cannot  find  him,  I  think  that  no  man 
can;  but  if  you  wish  to  come,  you  are  welcome." 

Miach  Lay  went  to  his  vessel;  and  Red  Bow 
chose  the  best  ship  from  all  that  his  father  had, 
and  went  on  board  of  it.  The  two  ships  sailed 
away  together.  In  time  they  neared  land;  and 
on  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  they  saw  a 
third  ship  sailing  toward  them  as  swiftly  as  the 
wind  blew,  and  it  was  not  long  till  it  came  along- 


Kings  Son^  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King.    125 

side.  There  was  only  one  man  on  board;  he 
hailed  Miach  Lay,  and  asked,  "Where  are  you 
going?" 

"  It  would  not  be  the  custom  of  my  country  for 
me  to  tell  you  what  you  ask  till  you  tell  me  who 
you  are  yourself,  and  where  your  own  journey 
lies." 

"I  know  myself,"  said  the  warrior,  "where 
you  are  going;  you  are  in  search  of  the  Dark 
King,  and  I  myself  would  like  to  see  him." 

With  that,  he  took  a  bundle  of  branches  he  had 
on  deck,  and  blew  them  overboard.  Then  every 
rod  and  twig  of  the  bundle  became  an  enormous 
log  of  wood,  so  that  the  harbor  was  covered  with 
one  raft  of  timber,  and  then  he  sailed  away  with- 
out waiting. 

After  much  struggling  with  the  logs,  shoving 
them  hither  and  over,  Miach  Lay  was  able  by 
pushing  with  oars  to  make  room  for  his  vessel, 
and  at  last  came  to  land.  Red  Bow  and  his  men 
were  cast  into  deep  sleep  by  the  man  on  the 
vessel  that  had  sailed  away. 

After  Miach  Lay  landed,  he  passed  through 
a  great  stretch  of  wild  country,  and,  drawing 
near  a  large  forest,  saw  rising  up  a  small,  slen- 
der smoke  far  in  among  trees.  He  made  for 
the  place  where  the  smoke  was,  and  there  he 
discovered  a  large,  splendid  castle  in  the  depth 


126  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

of  the  forest,  but  could  find  no  sign  of  an 
entrance. 

When  Miach  Lay  had  stood  outside  some 
time,  a  young  woman  looked  through  the  win- 
dow, hailed  him,  and  said,  "You  are  a  stran- 
ger, and  will  find  no  lodgings  in  these  parts; 
but  if  I  could  at  all,  I  would  let  you  come  in 
here." 

*'  Open  the  window  if  you  are  able,"  said  Miach 
Lay. 

The  window  had  hinges,  and  she  opened  it  in 
the  middle;  he  stepped  backward  nine  yards,  and 
went  in  at  one  bound  to  the  chamber. 

"You  are  welcome,"  said  she,  and  soon  she  had 
dinner  prepared  for  him.  When  he  had  eaten, 
she  inquired  who  was  he,  from  what  place  had  he 
come,  and  what  brought  him  that  way. 

He  told  her  all  that  had  happened  to  him  from 
the  first;  and  when  he  had  finished,  he  said,  "I 
know  not  where  to  find  my  brother. " 

"You  are  not  far  from  him  now,"  said  she; 
"  't  is  in  this  country  he  is  living,  and  the  land 
he  is  in  bounds  our  land." 

When  they  had  talked  long,  she  said,  "  You  are 
tired  and  need  rest,  so  sleep  in  this  chamber." 
She  went  then  to  her  own  place.  The  following 
morning  his  breakfast  was  ready  before  him ;  and 
after  he  had  eaten,  the  young  woman   said,  "I 


Kings  Son,  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King,    1 2 7 

suppose  you  will  be  thankful  if  I  tell  you  where 
to  find  the  castle  of  the  Dark  King." 

"  I  shall,  indeed,"  said  he.  Then  she  gave  him 
full  directions  how  to  go.  He  took  his  sword 
then,  and  sprang  out  as  he  had  sprung  in,  in  the 
evening,  and  went  in  the  direction  which  she 
told  him  to  take.  About  midday  he  met  a  man, 
who  hailed  him,  and  asked,  "Who  are  you,  and 
from  what  country }  " 

"  'T  is  not  the  custom  for  a  man  of  my  country 
to  answer  that  question  till  told  where  he  is, 
and  to  whom  he  is  speaking." 

"I  know  who  you  are  and  whither  you  are 
going.  You  are  going  to  the  castle  of  the  Dark 
King,  and  here  he  is  before  you ;  now  show  your 
daring." 

They  made  at  each  other;  and  if  they  did,  they 
made  soft  ground  hard  and  hard  ground  soft, 
they  made  high  places  low  and  low  places  high, 
they  brought  cold  spring  water  through  dry, 
gravelly  places,  and  if  any  one  were  to  come  from 
the  Eastern  to  the  Western  World,  it  is  to  look 
at  these  two  he  should  come. 

They  were  this  way  till  evening,  and  neither 
had  the  better  of  the  other.  Miach  Lay  was 
equal  to  the  Dark  King;  but  the  Dark  King, 
having  magic,  blew  a  gust  of  wind  at  Miach  Lay 
which  knocked   him   flat  on  the  earth,   and   left 


128  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

him  half  dead.  Then  the  Dark  King  took  Miach 
Lay's  sword,  and  went  away.  When  he  recovered, 
Miach  Lay  regretted  his  sword  more  than  all  else, 
and  went  back  to  the  castle  where  he  had  spent 
the  night  before.  He  was  barely  able  to  go  in 
at  the  window. 

"How  have  you  fared  this  day.-*"  asked  the 
young  woman. 

He  told  her  of  all  that  had  happened. 

"Be  not  grieved;  you  will  meet  him  another 
time,"  said  the  young  woman. 

"What  is  the  use.-*     I  have  no  sword  now." 

"If  't  is  a  sword  you  need,  I  will  bring  you  a 
blade  far  better  than  the  one  which  the  Dark 
King  took  from  you." 

After  breakfast  next  morning  she  brought  him 
her  father's  sword,  which  he  grasped  in  his  hand, 
and  shook.  Miach  Lay  bade  farewell  to  the 
young  woman,  and  sprang  out  through  the  window. 
Knowing  the  way  better  this  time,  he  hastened 
forward,  and  met  the  Dark  King  just  where  he 
met  him  before. 

"  Did  not  yesterday  tire  you  1  "  asked  the  king. 

"No,"  said  Miach  Lay. 

"Your  journey  is  useless,"  said  the  king. 

"We  shall  see, "answered  Miach  Lay,  and  they 
made  at  each  other;  and  terrible  as  the  battle 
was  on  the  first  day,  it  was  more  terrible  on  the 


Kings  Son,  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King,    129 

second;  but  when  the  Dark  King  thought  it 
time  to  go  home,  he  blew  a  gust  of  wind  which 
threw  Miach  Lay  to  the  earth,  and  left  him  sense- 
less. The  Dark  King  did  not  take  the  sword 
this  time. 

After  the  Dark  King  had  gone,  another  man 
came  the  way,  who  was  called  Sprisawn  Wooden 
Leg.^ 

"Well,  my  good  man,  you  are  nearly  dead," 
said  the  Sprisawn. 

"I  am,"  said  Miach  Lay,  rousing  up. 

"You  are  his  equal  but  for  the  magic.  I 
watched  the  combat  these  two  days,  and  you 
would  have  overcome  him  but  for  his  magic;  he 
will  finish  you  to-night  if  he  finds  you.  He  has 
three  magic  tricksters  who  are  leaving  his  house 
at  this  moment.  They  have  a  spear  which  the 
rear  man  of  the  three  hurls  forward,  the  trickster 
in  front  catches  the  spear  in  the  heel  of  his  foot, 
and  in  turn  hurls  it  with  all  his  force  forward; 
those  behind  rush  ahead  of  the  front  man,  and 
in  turn  catch  the  spear  in  their  heels.  No  matter 
how  far  nor  how  often  the  spear  is  thrown  for- 
ward, there  is  always  a  man  there  before  it  to 
catch  it.  They  are  rushing  hither  a  longdistance 
apart." 

1  sprisawn,  in  Gaelic  spriosan,  a  small  twig,  and,  figuratively,  a 
poor  little  creature,  a  sorry  little  fellow. 

9 


130  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

The  Sprisawn  saw  the  tricksters  approach,  and 
told  Miach  Lay  that  they  were  coming.  When 
they  came  within  a  spear-cast,  one  of  them  hurled 
the  spear  at  Miach  Lay;  it  went  through  his 
heart,  passed  out  through  his  body,  and  killed 
him. 

When  the  Sprisawn  saw  Miach  Lay  lying  dead, 
he  fell  to  weeping  and  wailing;  and  so  loud  was 
his  wail  that  every  one  heard  it  throughout  the 
whole  kingdom.  Red  Bow  was  sleeping  yet  in 
the  harbor;  but  so  loud  was  the  wail  of  the 
mourning  Sprisawn  that  it  roused  him  from  the 
slumber  which  the  Dark  King  had  put  on  him. 
He  landed  at  once  with  his  forces,  and  made  on 
toward  the  wailing.  When  they  came  to  the 
place,  and  saw  Miach  Lay  lying  dead,  they  them- 
selves began  to  wail ;  they  asked  the  Sprisawn 
then,  "Are  there  any  means  by  which  we  might 
raise  him  to  life }  " 

"There  are,"  replied  the  Sprisawn.  "The 
Dark  King  is  rejoicing  now  in  his  castle  with 
the  King  of  Mangling,  and  the  Gruagach  of 
Shields.  They  are  drinking  each  other's  health 
from  a  horn,  and  the  Dark  King  is  telling  the 
other  two  that  Miach  Lay  was  the  best  man  that 
ever  stood  in  front  of  him ;  and  if  he  could  drink 
from  that  horn,  he  would  rise  up  as  well  as  he 
ever  was. " 


Kings  Son,  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King.    1 3 1 

"I  with  my  men  will  go  for  that  horn,"  said 
Red  Bow. 

"Not  you  nor  all  the  men  like  you  living 
on  earth  could  bring  that  horn  from  the  castle 
of  the  Dark  King,"  replied  the  Sprisawn.  "That 
castle  is  surrounded  by  three  walls.  Each  wall 
is  four  feet  in  thickness  and  twenty  feet  high. 
Each  wall  has  a  gate  as  high  and  as  thick  as  the 
wall  is  itself.  How  could  you  pass  through  those 
walls.-*  Remain  here  and  watch  over  this  body; 
I  will  bring  the  horn  hither  myself." 

Off  went  the  Sprisawn,  and  he  had  more  control 
over  magic  than  even  the  Dark  King.  When  he 
arrived  at  the  castle,  he  struck  the  gate  with  the 
heel  of  his  wooden  foot  and  it  opened  before 
him;  the  second  and  third  gate  opened  too,  in 
like  manner,  when  he  struck  them.  In  he 
went  to  the  room  where  the  king  and  his  two 
friends  were  drinking.  There  he  found  them 
raising  toasts  to  each  other.  He  was  himself 
invisible.  As  soon  as  they  rested  the  horn  on 
the  table,  he  snatched  it  and  made  off  for  the 
place  where  Miach  Lay  was  lying  dead.  Then 
Red  Bow  and  his  men  raised  up  the  dead  man, 
and  poured  down  his  throat  some  of  the  wine  or 
whatever  liquor  was  held  in  the  horn. 

After  a  time  Miach  Lay  opened  his  eyes,  and 
yawned.  They  were  all  so  delighted  that  they 
raised  three  shouts  of  joy. 


132  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"Come  on  with  me  now,"  said  the  Sprisawn, 
"to  the  castle  of  the  Dark  King.  We  will  have  a 
trial  of  strength  with  him.  I  will  take  the  Dark 
King  in  hand  myself.  Do  you,  Miach  Lay,  take 
the  King  of  Mangling,  and  you,  Red  Bow,  take 
the  Gruagach  of  Shields." 

"This  will  be  very  good  for  us  to  keep,"  said 
Red  Bow,  when  he  saw  the  virtue  of  the  horn. 

"No,"  said  the  Sprisawn;  "it  is  good  for  the 
man  who  owns  it,  and  I  will  return  it." 

The  Sprisawn,  who  could  travel  as  swiftly  as 
his  own  thought,  vanished  with  the  horn,  placed 
it  on  the  table  from  which  he  had  snatched  it, 
and  came  back  to  the  others.  No  one  had  missed 
the  horn ;  when  they  turned  to  use  it,  it  was  there 
on  the  table  before  them,  in  the  chamber  of  the 
Dark  King.  Miach  Lay  and  his  friends  went 
on  together,  and  never  stopped  till  they  stood 
in  the  chamber  where  the  Dark  King  was  sitting 
with  his  friends.  The  gates  had  remained  open 
since  the  Sprisawn  opened  them.  When  the 
Dark  King  saw  the  dead  man  alive,  standing  in 
his  chamber  before  him,  he  said,  "  Never  a  wel- 
come to  you,  you  miserable  creature  with  the 
wooden  foot.  What  brought  you  hither,  or  how 
did  you  come.?  " 

"I  have  come  to  you  with  combat,"  said  the 
Sprisawn;  "and  now  do  you  choose  the  manner 
of  fighting." 


Kings  Son,  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King,    1 33 

In  the  castle  were  three  chambers,  in  each 
chamber  a  cross-beam  as  high  from  the  floor 
as  a  man's  throat;  in  the  middle  of  each  cross- 
beam was  a  hole,  through  this  hole  passed  a 
chain,  at  each  end  of  the  chain  was  an  iron  loop; 
above  the  hole  and  lengthwise  with  the  beam 
was  a  sword  with  a  keen  edge  on  it.  Each  pair 
of  champions  was  to  take  one  room  of  the  three, 
and  each  man  of  them  was  to  place  a  loop  on  his 
own  neck;  each  then  was  to  pull  the  other  to  the 
hole  if  he  could,  and  then  pull  till  the  sword  cut 
his  head  off. 

The  Sprisawn  and  the  Dark  King  took  one 
room,  Miach  Lay  and  the  King  of  Mangling 
another,  Red  Bow  and  the  Gruagach  of  Shields 
took  the  third. 

The  first  pair  were  not  long  at  each  other,  as 
the  Sprisawn  was  greatly  anxious  for  the  other 
two,  and  with  the  second  pull  that  he  gave  he 
had  the  head  off  the  Dark  King.  He  ran  then 
to  see  how  it  fared  with  Miach  Lay.  Miach  Lay 
was  tired  and  nearly  beaten. 

"Come  out  of  that  for  me,"  said  the  Sprisawn. 
"What  playing  is  it  you  have  with  him.?  " 

"Fully  satisfied  am  I  to  give  this  place  to 
you,"  said  Miach  Lay,  raising  the  loop;  and  the 
Sprisawn  put  it  quickly  on  his  own  neck. 

With  the  first  pull  the  Sprisawn  gave  he  had 


134  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

the  head  off  the  King  of  Mangling.  They  ran 
then  to  Red  Bow,  whose  head  was  within  two 
feet  of  the  sword. 

"Go  on  out  of  this,"  said  the  Sprisawn,  putting 
the  loop  on  his  own  neck.  The  Gruagach,  by 
reason  of  having  Red  Bow  so  near  the  beam,  was 
himself  at  a  distance,  but  at  the  first  pull  which 
the  Sprisawn  gave  he  drew  the  Gruagach  within 
a  foot  of  the  beam.  Fearing  that  if  he  killed 
the  third  man  there  would  be  no  one  to  give  an 
account  of  those  carried  off  by  the  Dark  King, 
the  Sprisawn  offered  the  Gruagach  his  life  if  he 
told  him  where  Manus  and  the  other  two  hus- 
bands of  the  king's  daughter  were. 

"If  I  tell  you  that,"  said  the  Gruagach,  "the 
Dark  King  will  knock  the  head  off  me." 

"  If  you  saw  the  head  of  the  Dark  King  would 
you  tell  me.?  " 

"I  would." 

The  Sprisawn  sent  Miach  Lay  for  the  head  of 
the  Dark  King;  he  brought  it. 

"  Is  that  his  head }  "  asked  the  Sprisawn. 

"It  is,"  said  the  Gruagach. 

"Well,  tell  me  now." 

"Were  I  to  tell  you,"  said  the  Gruagach,  "the 
King  of  Mangling  would  knock  the  head  off 
me." 

"  If  you  saw  his  head  would  you  tell  me  ?  " 


Kings  SoUy  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King,    135 

"I  would." 

The  head  of  the  King  of  Mangling  was  brought. 

"Is  this  the  head?" 

"It  is." 

"Well,  tell  me,  or  you  '11  lose  your  own  head." 

"Near  this  castle  is  a  lake,"  said  the  Grua- 
gach,  "and  under  its  water  is  an  enchanted 
steel  tower,  with  high  walls  three  feet  in  thick- 
ness; around  that  tower  on  the  outside  a  long 
serpent  has  wound  herself  closely  from  the  bottom 
to  the  top.  This  serpent  is  called  the  Worm  of 
Nine  Eyes.  Inside  in  the  tower  are  the  three 
men." 

"And  how  can  we  come  at  them.?  "  asked  the 
Sprisawn. 

"Whoever  wants  to  free  them,"  said  the 
Gruagach,  "  must  stand  on  the  shore  of  the  lake 
and  shout  to  the  serpent,  calling  her  the  Worm 
of  Nine  Eyes.  Hearing  this,  the  serpent  will 
unwind,  and  with  lashing  will  drive  all  the  water 
of  the  lake  in  showers  through  the  country  and 
flood  the  whole  land.  The  basin  of  the  lake  will 
be  dry  then,  and  the  serpent  will  rush  at  the  man 
who  uttered  the  insult  and  try  to  devour  him. 
The  serpent  must  be  killed,  and  the  champion 
must  run  to  the  tower;  if  he  can  break  in,  he 
will  rescue  the  three  men." 

"  Is  tUt  all }  "  asked  the  Sprisawn. 


136  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"  It  is,"  said  the  Gruagach.  "  I  have  no  further 
account  of  the  matter;  that  is  all  I  know." 

"Then  you'll  lose  your  head,  too,"  said  the 
Sprisawn;  and  with  one  pull  of  the  chain  he 
swept  the  head  off  the  Gruagach.  The  three 
champions  went  to  the  lake  then.  Miach  Lay 
and  Red  Bow  wished  to  help  the  Sprisawn,  but  he 
forced  them  to  remain  behind,  saying  that  they 
would  be  swept  away  by  the  waters  if  they  went. 

The  Sprisawn,  coming  to  the  bank  of  the  lake, 
shouted:  "Worm  of  Nine  Eyes!"  No  sooner 
did  the  serpent  hear  the  name  than  she  uncoiled 
from  the  tower,  lashed  the  lake,  and  sent  the 
water  over  the  country.  When  the  lake  bed  was 
dry  the  serpent  rushed  toward  the  Sprisawn  with 
open  mouth.  When  the  Sprisawn  saw  the  ser- 
pent he  took  his  sword  in  both  hands  and  held 
it  crosswise  in  front  of  his  face,  and  when  the 
serpent  was  coming  to  swallow  him  so  great  was 
the  force  with  which  she  rushed  forward  and 
sucked  the  air  to  draw  him  in,  that  the  Sprisawn 
split  her  in  two  from  the  mouth  to  the  tail, 
dividing  the  back  from  the  belly,  and  the  two 
pieces  fell  apart  like  the  two  halves  of  a  split 
log  of  timber. 

Miach  Lay  and  Red  Bow  came  then  to  the 
Sprisawn  and  went  to  the  tower,  but  if  they  did, 
they  could  not  go  in. 


Kings  Son,  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King.    137 

"Oh,"  said  the  Sprisawn,  "if  you  had  all  the 
arms  in  the  world  you  could  not  break  through 
that  tower."  He  went  himself  to  the  door  then, 
and  striking  it  slightly  with  his  wooden  foot,  for 
fear  of  killing  the  men  inside  by  too  hard  a  blow, 
he  burst  in  the  door.  The  three  men  inside 
came  out,  and  Miach  Lay  embraced  his  own 
brother.  All  were  glad,  and  all  started  for  home, 
but  had  not  gone  far  when  the  other  two  men 
began  to  dispute  whose  would  the  king's  daugh- 
ter be.  The  first  husband  said  his  claim  was 
strongest;  the  second  said  his  was.  The  Spris- 
awn tried  to  settle  the  quarrel,  but  could  not. 
"I  would  advise  you,"  said  he,  "to  leave  the 
matter  to  the  first  man  you  meet." 

All  agreed  to  do  this. 

The  Sprisawn  now  left  them  and  vanished  as 
if  he  had  never  been  with  them.  They  had  not 
gone  far  when  they  met  a  man.  "Well  met," 
said  they;  "we  are  glad  to  see  you." 

"  What  is  the  trouble  that  is  on  you } "  asked 
the  man. 

"So  and  so,"  said  they,  telling  him  the  whole 
story;  "and  now  you  are  to  be  our  judge." 

"I  will  do  my  best,"  said  the  man,  "if  each 
one  will  be  satisfied  with  my  decision." 

"We  will,"  said  they. 


1 38  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland. 

"Now  let  each  man  tell  his  story.'* 

Each  man  told  his  story  to  the  end. 

"Who  rescued  you?  "  asked  he. 

"Miach  Lay  and  his  forces,"  said  they. 

"Had  not  this  man  and  his  forces  come,  you 
would  have  been  there  till  this  time.?  " 

"We  should,"  said  the  three. 

"If  so,"  said  the  man,  "my  decision  is  that 
the  first  and  second  husband  should  each  be 
thankful,  go  to  his  own  people,  and  get  another 
wife  for  himself;  and  that  the  daughter  of  the 
King  of  Greece  belongs  to  the  brother  of  the 
man  who  rescued  all  three." 

The  two  princes  went  away  toward  their  own 
homes,  and  the  man  remained,  and  who  was  he 
when  he  took  his  own  form  again  but  the 
Sprisawn.  They  went  then  to  the  castle  where 
the  young  lady  had  entertained  Miach  Lay,  and 
whose  castle  was  it  but  the  Sprisawn's;  the 
young  woman  was  his  daughter.  After  resting 
there  for  some  days,  the  Sprisawn  asked  Miach 
Lay  would  he  marry  his  daughter.  Miach  Lay 
was  willing  and  glad,  and  remained  there. 

Manus  and  Red  Bow  returned  to  the  King  of 
Greece.  Manus  lived  in  Greece  happily,  and  so 
did  his  children. 

The  two  brothers  did  well  not  to  marry  any 


Kings  Son,  Sprisawn,  and  Dark  King,    1 39 

woman  their  father  found  for  them,  for  they 
would  not  have  had  the  grand  ladies  that  they 
had  in  the  end,  and  Miach  Lay  had  the  domin- 
ions of  the  Dark  King,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
Sprisawn,  and  they  were  very  rich  kingdoms. 


THE  AMADAN  MOR  AND  THE  GRUA- 
GACH  OF  THE  CASTLE  OF  GOLD. 

/^N  a  time  in  Erin  the  King  of  Leinster 
^^^  resolved  to  make  war  on  the  King  of 
Munster,  and  sent  him  a  message  to  be  ready  for 
battle  on  a  day  mentioned.  They  raised  flags 
for  combat  when  the  day  came,  and  stood  face 
to  face.  The  forces  closed  in  battle,  and  were 
at  one  another  then  till  the  King  of  Leinster 
and  his  men  killed  all  the  warriors  of  the  King 
of  Munster  and  the  king  himself. 

After  the  King  of  Munster  and  all  his  cham- 
pions were  slain,  the  King  of  Leinster  thought 
it  better  to  live  in  Munster  than  in  his  own 
kingdom,  so  he  took  possession  of  Munster  and 
went  to  live  in  the  king's  castle. 

The  wife  of  the  King  of  Munster  fled  in  haste 
to  a  forest,  a  thing  easily  done,  for  all  Erin  was 
under  forests  in  that  time.  The  queen  had  a 
son  in  the  forest,  and  after  a  time  she  had  no 
clothes  for  herself  or  the  child.  Hair  came  out 
on  them  as  on  wild  beasts  of  the  wilderness. 
The   child  was  thriving  and   growing;    what  of 


The  Amadan  Mor  and  the  Gruagach,    141 

him  did  not  grow  in  the  day  grew  threefold  at 
night,  till  at  last  there  was  no  knowing  what 
size  was  he. 

The  queen  was  seven  years  without  leaving  the 
place  around  her  hut  in  the  forest.  In  the  eighth 
year  she  went  forth  from  the  forest  and  saw  her 
husband's  castle  and  open  kingdom,  and  began 
to  weep  and  lament.  There  was  a  great  crowd 
of  people  around  the  castle  where  she  had  herself 
lived  in  past  years.  She  went  to  see  what  was 
happening.  It  was  a  summer  of  great  want,  and 
the  king  was  giving  out  doles  of  meal  to  people 
daily,  and  the  man  who  was  giving  the  meal  gave 
her  a  dole  also.  He  was  greatly  surprised  when 
he  saw  her,  and  in  the  evening  he  was  telling  the 
king  that  he  had  never  seen  such  a  sight  in  his 
life;  she  was  all  covered  with  hair  like  a  beast 
of  the  forest. 

"She  will  come  again  to-morrow,"  said  the 
king;  "then  do  you  inquire  what  sort  is  she, 
and  where  is  her  place  of  abode." 

She  went  next  day  to  the  castle;  the  man  in 
charge  gave  her  meal.  After  she  had  gone  he 
followed  her,  and  when  he  was  coming  near  she 
sat  down  at  the  roadside  from  shame. 

"Fear  me  not,"  said  the  man.  "I  wish  to 
know  if  you  are  of  the  dead  or  the  living,  and 
what  sort  are  you." 


142  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"  I  am  a  living  person,  though  I  may  seem  like 
one  from  the  dead.'* 

"  Where  do  you  live  ?  ** 

"  I  have  no  house  or  home  save  a  small  hut  in 
the  forest,  and  I  have  the  look  of  a  beast  because 
I  eat  fruits  and  leaves  of  trees  and  grass  of  the 
earth. " 

The  man  told  the  king,  and  the  king  said, 
"  Tell  the  woman  to-morrow  that  I  will  give  her 
a  house  of  some  kind  to  live  in." 

The  king  gave  the  strange  woman  a  house,  and 
she  went  to  live  with  her  son  in  it.  The  son 
was  seven  years  old  at  that  time,  and  not  able 
to  walk  or  speak,  although  he  was  larger  than 
any  giant.  His  mother  had  called  him  Micky, 
and  soon  he  was  known  as  Micky  Mor  (Big 
Micky). 

She  was  there  for  awhile  in  the  house  with 
her  son,  and  she  taking  doles  of  food  like  any 
poor  person.  One  fine  summer  day  she  was 
sitting  at  the  doorstep,  and  she  began  to  weep 
and  lament. 

"  What  is  the  cause  of  your  crying }  "  asked 
the  boy,  who  had  never  spoken  before  till  that 
moment. 

"God's  help  be  with  us,"  said  the  mother. 
"  It  is  time  for  you  to  get  speech.  Thank  God 
you  are  able  to  talk  now." 


The  Amadan  Mor  and  the  Gruagach.    143 

"It  is  never  too  late,  mother." 

"That  is  right,  my  child,"  said  she,  "it  is 
better  late  than  never." 

"Tell  me,  mother,  why  do  you  cry  in  this  way 
and  lament }  " 

"It  is  no  use  for  me  to  tell  you,  my  child; 
three  men  have  just  gone  back  to  the  strand, 
and  once  I  was  able  to  give  the  like  of  them  a 
good  warm  dinner." 

"Well,  mother,  you  must  go  and  invite  them 
to  dinner  this  time." 

"What  have  I  to  give  them  to  eat,  my  poor 
child }  " 

"  If  you  have  nothing  to  give  them  but  only 
to  be  talking  till  morning,  you  will  have  to  go 
and  invite  them." 

When  she  was  ready  he  said :  "  Mother,  before 
you  go  tie  my  two  hands  to  the  beam  that  is  here 
in  the  house  above  the  hearth,  that  I  may  not  fall 
in  the  fire  while  you  are  absent." 

Before  the  mother  went  out  she  passed  a  rope 
under  his  arms,  tied  him  to  the  cross-beam,  and 
put  a  stool  under  his  feet.  He  kicked  the  stool 
away;  he  had  to  pull  and  drag  himself  to  swing, 
the  fire  was  catching  his  feet,  the  beam  was 
cracking  from  his  weight  and  the  swinging. 
The  sinews  of  his  legs  stretched,  he  got  his 
footing  then,  and  walked  to  the  door. 


144  He7'o-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"Thanks  be  to  God,"  said  the  mother,  when 
she  came  back.  "It  is  curious  how  your  talk 
and  your  walk  came  to  you  on  the  one  day. " 

"  It  is  nearly  always  the  case  that  't  is  together 
talk  and  walk  come  to  a  child;  but  now  it  is  time 
for  us  to  be  providing  something  for  the  friends 
that  are  coming  to-night." 

He  went  away  then  and  asked  the  man  who 
brought  turf  out  of  the  reeks  to  the  king's  cas- 
tle to  give  him  as  much  as  would  make  fire  for 
himself  and  his  mother  for  the  night. 

"Go  away,"  said  the  man;  "I  will  not  give 
you  a  sod  of  turf.  Go  to  the  king  and  get  an 
order;  then  I  will  give  you  turf  in  plenty." 

"I  would  not  be  tiring  myself  going  for  an 
order,  but  I  will  have  plenty  in  spite  of  you. " 

Micky  took  away  then  a  great  basket  of  turf 
and  no  thanks  to  the  man. 

"Well,  mother,"  said  he,  "here  is  turf  enough 
for  you,  and  make  down  a  good  fire." 

He  went  to  the  mill  and  said  to  the  miller: 
"  My  mother  sent  me  for  flour.  There  will  be 
three  at  the  house  to-night,  and  what  will  not  be 
used  will  be  brought  to  you  in  the  morning." 

"  You  stump  of  a  fool,  why  should  I  give  you 
flour.?  Go  to  my  master,  the  king;  if  he  gives 
an  order,  I  will  give  you  flour  in  plenty." 

Micky  caught  the  miller.     "I  will  put  yon," 


The  Amadan  Mor  and  the  Gruagach.    145 

said  he,  "in  one  of  the  hoppers  of  the  mill 
unless  you  make  away  with  yourself  out  of 
this." 

The  miller  ran  away  in  dread  that  Micky  would 
kill  him.  Micky  laid  hold  of  a  strong,  weighty 
chain,  and  tied  a  great  sack  of  flour  and  put  it 
on  his  back.  When  the  sack  was  across  his  back 
he  could  not  pass  through  the  doorway,  and  knew 
not  what  to  do. 

"It  would  be  a  shame  for  me  to  say  of  the 
first  load  I  put  on  my  back  that  I  left  that  same 
after  me."  He  stepped  backward  some  paces  and 
made  such  a  rush  that  he  carried  out  the  frame  of 
the  door  with  him. 

"Well,  mother,"  said  he,  "we  have  fire  and 
flour  enough  now,  and  let  you  be  making  loaves 
for  the  visitors." 

He  went  next  to  the  woman  in  charge  of  the 
milk-house.  "  It  is  hither  my  mother  sent  me 
for  a  firkin  of  butter.  There  are  three  strangers 
above  in  our  house.  What  will  be  left  of  the 
butter  I  will  bring  back  in  the  morning,  and  all 
my  own  help  and  assistance  to  you  for  a  week 
to  come." 

"Be  out  of  my  milk-house,  you  stump  of  a 
fool,"  said  the  woman.  "What  assistance  can 
you  give  to  pay  for  my  milk  and  butter.? " 

"Let  you  be  out  of  this,  my  good  woman," 
10 


[46  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

said  Micky,  "or  I  will  not  leave  much  life  in  you 
from  this  day  out." 

She  went  away  in  a  hurry,  and  he  carried  a 
firkin  of  butter  home  on  his  shoulder. 

"Now,  mother,"  said  he,  *'you  have  bread, 
fire,  butter,  and  all  things  you  need.  If  we  had 
a  bit  of  meat,  that  would  be  all  that  we  care 
for." 

He  went  away  then  and  never  stopped  nor 
stayed  till  he  reached  the  place  where  all  the 
king's  fine  fat  sheep  were.  He  caught  up  one 
and  brought  it  home  on  his  shoulder. 

Next  day  the  turf-keeper,  the  miller,  the  dairy- 
woman,  and  the  shepherd  went  to  complain  to 
the  king  of  what  Micky  had  done. 

"  It  is  not  luck  we  asked  for  the  first  day  we 
drew  him  on  us,"  said  the  king. 

The  king  started  and  never  stopped  nor  stayed 
till  he  went  to  his  old  druid.  "Such  a  man  as 
we  have  brought  on  us,"  said  the  king.  "Tell 
me  now  how  to  put  an  end  to  him." 

"There  is,"  said  the  druid,  "a  black  mad  hound 
in  a  wood  beyond  the  mountain.  Tell  Micky 
that  you  lost  that  hound  one  day  in  the  hunt, 
and  to  bring  her  and  he  will  be  well  paid  for 
his  trouble." 

The  king  sent  for  Micky,  and  told  him  all  as 
the  druid  advised. 


THEY     BEGAN    TO    TALK    AS     MICKY    MOVED    FORWARD. 

Parie  147. 


The  A  mad  an  Mor  and  the  Gruagach.    14J 

"Will  you  send  any  man  with  me  to  show  me 
the  road  ?  " 

"I  will,"  said  the  king. 

Micky  and  the  man  were  soon  travelling  along 
the  road  toward  the  mountain.  When  Micky 
thought  it  too  slow  the  man  was  walking,  he 
asked,  "  Have  you  any  walk  better  than  that  ?  " 

"Why,  then,  I  have  not,"  said  the  man,  "and 
I  am  tired,  and  it  is  because  I  have  such  a  good 
walk  that  I  was  sent  with  you." 

Micky  took  up  his  guide,  put  him  under  his 
arm,  with  the  man's  head  near  his  own  breast, 
and  they  began  to  talk  as  Micky  moved  forward. 
When  they  came  near  the  wood,  the  man  said, 
"Put  me  down,  and  beware  of  the  hound.  Be 
not  rash  with  her,  or  she  may  harm  you. " 

"If  she  is  a  hound  belonging  to  a  king  or  a 
man  of  high  degree,  it  must  be  that  she  has 
training  and  will  come  with  me  quietly.  If  she 
will  not  come  gently,  I  will  make  her  come  in 
spite  of  her." 

When  he  went  into  the  wood  the  hound  smelt 
him  and  rushed  at  his  throat  to  tear  him  to 
pieces.  He  hurled  her  off  quickly,  and  then  she 
made  a  second  drive  at  him,  and  a  fierce  one. 

"Indeed,"  said  Micky,  "you  are  an  impudent 
hound  to  belong  to  a  king;  "  and,  taking  a  long, 
strong  tree  branch,  he  gave  her  a  blow  on  the 
flank  that  raised  her  high  in  the  air. 


148  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

After  that  blow  the  hound  ran  away  as  fast  as 
her  legs  could  carry  her,  and  Micky  made  after 
her  with  all  the  speed  of  his  own  legs  to  catch 
her.  On  account  of  the  blow  she  was  losing 
breath  fast,  and  he  was  coming  nearer  and  nearer, 
till  at  length  he  ran  before  her  and  drove  her 
in  against  the  ditch.  When  she  tried  to  go  one 
way  he  shook  the  branch  before  her,  and  when 
she  tried  to  rush  off  in  another  direction,  he 
shook  it  there  too,  till  he  forced  her  into  the 
road,  and  then  she  was  mild  and  quiet  and  came 
with  him  as  gently  as  any  dog. 

When  he  was  near  home  some  one  saw  Micky 
and  the  mad  hound  with  him.  A  messenger  ran 
and  told  the  king  he  was  coming  and  the  mad 
hound  walking  with  him.  The  king  gave  orders 
to  close  every  door  in  the  castle.  He  was  in 
dread  that  the  hound  would  devour  every  one 
living. 

When  the  hound  was  brought  before  the  closed 
door  of  the  castle  the  king  put  his  head  out  the 
window  and  said,  "  That  hound  has  been  so  long 
astray  that  she  is  of  no  use  to  me  now;  take  her 
to  your  mother,  and  she  will  mind  the  house  for 
her." 

Micky  took  the  hound  home,  and  she  was  that 
tame  and  watchful  that  not  a  hen,  nor  a  duck, 
nor  a  goose  belonging  to  the  king's  castle  could 
come  near  the  house. 


I 


The  Amadan  Mor  and  the  Gruagach.     149 

The  king  went  to  the  druid  a  second  time,  and 
asked,  "  What  can  I  do  to  kill  Micky  Mor? " 

"There  is  a  raging  wild  boar  in  the  woods 
there  beyond  that  will  tear  him  to  pieces,"  said 
the  druid.  "Tell  Micky  Mor  that  one  of  the 
servants,  when  coming  from  the  town,  lost  a 
young  pig,  that  the  pig  is  in  that  wood,  and  to 
bring  him." 

The  king  sent  for  the  boy,  and  said,  "  One  of 
my  men  lost  a  young  pig  while  coming  from  the 
town;  it  is  in  that  wood  there  beyond.  If  you  '11 
go  to  the  wood  and  bring  the  pig  hither,  I  '11  pay 
you  well  when  you  come. " 

"I  will  go,"  said  the  boy,  "if  you  will  send 
some  one  to  show  me  the  wood  where  the  pig  is." 

The  king  sent  a  man,  but  not  the  man  who 
went  the  first  time  with  Micky  Mor,  for  that  man 
said,  "I  am  tired,  and  haven't  the  strength  to 
go."  They  went  on  then,  walking  toward  the 
wood.  This  guide  grew  tired  like  the  first  man, 
for  the  wood  was  far  distant  from  the  castle  of 
the  king.  When  he  was  tired,  the  boy  put  him 
under  his  arm,  and  the  two  began  to  chat  away 
as  they  journeyed.  When  near  the  wood,  the 
man  begged  and  said,  "Micky  Mor,  put  me 
down  now:  it  is  a  mad  boar  that  is  in  the 
wood;  and  if  you  are  not  careful,  he  will  tear 
you  to  pieces." 


150  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"God  help  you!"  said  Micky;  "'tis  the  inno- 
cent man  you  are  to  let  such  a  small  thing  put 
dread  on  you. " 

"I  will  leave  you,"  said  the  guide:  "I  cannot 
help  you;  you  are  able  to  fight  the  battle 
yourself." 

Away  went  the  man;  and  when  Micky  Mor 
entered  the  wood,  the  wild  boar  was  facing  him, 
and  the  beast  foaming  from  both  sides  of  the 
mouth.  As  the  guide  had  warned  him  to  be  on 
his  guard,  Micky  gave  one  spring  out  of  his  body, 
and  came  to  the  boar  with  such  a  kick  that  his 
leg  went  right  into  the  mouth  of  the  beast,  and 
split  his  jaw  back  to  the  breast.  The  wild  boar 
dropped  lifeless,  and  the  boy  was  going  home, 
leaving  the  great  beast  behind  him.  He  stopped 
then,  and  said  to  himself,  "  If  I  go  back  with- 
out the  boar,  the  king  will  not  believe  that  I 
met  him  at  all."  He  turned  back,  caught  the 
wild  boar  by  the  hind  legs,  and  threw  him  across 
his  shoulders. 

The  king  thought,  "As  he  brought  the  mad 
hound  the  first  day,  he  may  bring  the  wild  boar 
to  me  this  time."  He  placed  guards  on  all  roads 
leading  to  the  castle. 

The  guards  saw  Micky  coming  with  the  boar 
on  his  back.  Thinking  the  boar  alive,  they  ran 
hither  and  over,  closed  every  door,  window,  hole. 


The  Amadan  Mor  and  the  Gruagach.     1 5 1 

or  place  that  a  mouse  might  pass  through,  for 
fear  the  wild  boar  would  tear  them  to  pieces. 

The  youth  went  up  to  the  castle,  and  struck  the 
door;  the  king  put  his  head  out  the  window,  and 
asked,  "  Can  it  be  that  you  have  the  wild  boar  ? " 

"I  have  him;  but  if  I  have,  he  is  dead." 

"As  he  is  dead,  you  might  take  him  home  to 
your  mother;  and,  believe  me,  he  will  keep  you 
in  meat  for  a  long  while." 

The  king  went  to  the  druid  again. 

"I  have  no  advice  for  you  this  time,"  said  the 
druid,  "but  one:  he  is  of  as  good  blood  as  your- 
self; and  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  give  him 
your  daughter  to  marry." 

This  daughter  was  the  king's  only  child,  and 
her  name  was  Eilin  Og.  The  king  sent  for  the 
youth  then,  and  said,  "I  will  give  you  my 
daughter  to  marry. " 

"It  is  well,"  said  Micky  Mor;  "if  you  give  her 
in  friendship,  I  will  take  her." 

Micky  Mor  made  himself  ready;  they  gave 
him  fine  clothes,  and  he  seemed  fit  to  marry  any 
king's  daughter.  After  the  marriage  he  was  a 
full  week  without  going  to  see  his  own  mother. 

When  he  went  to  her  at  the  end  of  the  week, 
she  cried  out,  "  What  is  keeping  you  away  from 
me  a  whole  week.?  " 

"Dear  mother,"   said  he,   "it   is  I  that  have 


152  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

met  with  the  luck.  I  got  the  king's  daughter 
to  marry." 

"Go  away  out  of  my  sight,  and  never  come 
near  me  again !  " 

"  Why  so,  mother,  what  ails  you }  Could  I  get 
a  better  wife  than  a  king's  daughter.?  " 

"My  dear  son,  if  she  is  a  king's  daughter,  you 
are  a  king's  son,  so  you  are  as  high  as  she." 

"If  I  am  a  king's  son,  why  have  you  and  I 
been  so  poor  >  " 

She  told  him  then  that  the  king  had  killed  his 
father  and  all  his  forces,  and  that  the  whole 
castle  and  kingdom  had  belonged  to  his  father. 

"Why  did  you  not  tell  me  that  long  ago.!*  " 

"I  would  never  have  told  you,"  said  she,  "but 
that  you  have  married  the  murderer's  daughter." 

Away  went  the  son  when  he  heard  what  his 
mother  said,  and  the  eyes  going  out  of  his  head 
with  wild  rage,  and  he  saying  that  he  would  kill 
every  one  living  about  the  king's  castle.  The 
people  in  the  castle  saw  him  coming,  and  thought 
from  his  looks  that  his  mother  had  said  some 
strong  words  to  him,  and  they  closed  every  door 
and  window  against  him.  The  young  man  put 
his  shoulder  to  the  door  of  the  castle,  and  it  flew 
in  before  him.  He  never  stopped  nor  stayed  till 
he  went  to  the  highest  chamber  of  the  castle  to 
the  king  and  queen,  killing  every  one  that  came 


The  Amadan  Mor  and  the  Gruagach.    153 

in  his  way.  **  Pardon  me !  Spare  me ! "  cried  the 
king. 

"I  will  never  kill  you  between  my  own  two 
hands;  but  I  '11  give  you  the  chance  that  you 
gave  my  own  father  while  the  spear  was  going 
from  the  hand  to  his  breast."  With  that,  he 
caught  the  king,  and  threw  him  out  through  the 
window.  When  he  had  all  killed  who  did  not 
flee  before  him,  he  could  find  no  sight  of  his  own 
wife,  though  he  looked  for  her  everywhere. 

"Well,  mother,"  said  he  when  he  went  home, 
"  I  have  all  killed  before  me,  but  I  cannot  find 
my  own  wife. " 

The  mother  went  with  him  to  search  for  the 
wife,  and  they  found  her  in  a  box.  When  they 
opened  the  box,  she  screamed  wildly. 

"  Su'-e,  you  know  well  that  I  did  not  marry  you 
to  kill  you;  have  no  fear." 

She  was  glad  to  have  her  life.  Micky  Mor 
then  moved  into  the  castle,  and  had  his  father's 
kingdom  and  property  back  again.  After  awhile 
he  went  to  walk  one  day  with  his  wife,  Eilin  Og. 
While  he  was  walking  for  himself,  the  sky  grew 
so  dark  that  it  seemed  like  night,  and  he  knew 
not  where  to  go;  but  he  went  on  till  he  came  at 
last  to  a  roomy  dark  glen.  When  he  was  inside 
in  the  glen,  the  greatest  drowsiness  that  ever 
came  over  a  man  came  over  him. 


154  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"Eilin  Og/'  said  he,  "come  quickly  under  my 
head,  for  sleep  is  coming  on  me." 

"It  is  not  sleep  that  is  troubling  you,  but 
something  in  this  great  gloomy  glen,  where  you 
were  never  before  in  your  life." 

"Oh,  Eilin  Og,  come  quickly  under  my  head." 

She  came  under  his  head,  and  he  got  a  short 
nap  of  sleep.  When  he  woke,  hunger  and  thirst 
came  on  him  greater  than  ever  came  upon  any 
man  ever  born.  Then  a  vessel  came  to  him  filled 
with  food,  and  one  with  drink. 

"Taste  not  the  drink,  take  not  a  bite  of  the 
food,  in  this  dark  glen,  till  you  know  what  kind 
of  a  place  is  it." 

"Eilin  Og,  I  must  take  one  drink.  I  '11  drink 
it  whomsoever  it  vexes." 

He  took  a  draught  hard  and  strong  from  the 
vessel ;  and  that  moment  the  two  legs  dropped  off 
Micky  Mor  from  the  knees  down. 

When  Eilin  Og  saw  this,  she  fell  to  wailing 
and  weeping. 

"Hold,  hold,  Eilin  Og!  silence  your  grief;  a 
head  or  a  leg  will  not  be  in  the  country  unless 
I  get  my  two  legs  again." 

The  fog  now  dispersed,  and  the  sky  became 
clear.  When  he  saw  the  sky  clear,  he  knew 
where  to  go;  and  he  put  his  knife  and  spear 
and  wife  on  the  point  of  his  shoulder.     Then  his 


The  Amadan  Mor  and  the  Gruagach.    155 

strength  and  activity  were  greater,  and  he  was 
swifter  on  his  two  knees  than  nine  times  nine 
other  men  that  had  the  use  of  their  whole  legs. 

While  he  was  going  on,  he  saw  huntsmen  com- 
ing toward  him.  A  deer  passed  him.  He  threw 
the  spear  that  he  had  in  his  hand;  it  went  through 
the  deer,  in  one  side  and  out  through  the  other. 
A  white  dog  rushed  straightway  after  the  deer. 
Micky  Mor  caught  the  deer  and  the  dog,  and  kept 
them. 

Now  a  young  Gruagach,  light  and  loose,  was 
the  first  of  the  huntsmen  to  follow  the  white  dog. 
"Micky  Mor,"  said  he,  "give  me  the  white  dog 
and  the  deer." 

"I  will  not,"  said  Micky.  "For  it  is  myself 
that  did  the  slaughter,  strong  and  fierce,  that 
threw  the  spear  out  of  my  right  hand  and  put  it 
through  the  two  sides  of  the  deer;  and  whoever 
it  be,  you  or  I,  who  has  the  strongest  hand,  let 
him  have  the  white  dog  and  the  deer." 

"Micky  Mor,"  said  Eilin  Og,  "yield  up  the 
white  dog  and  the  deer." 

"I  will,"  said  he,  "and  more  if  you  ask;  for 
had  I  obeyed  you  in  the  glen,  the  two  legs  from 
the  knees  down  would  not  have  gone  from  me." 

The  hunter,  who  was  the  Gruagach  of  Dun  an 
Oir,  was  so  glad  to  get  his  white  dog  and  deer 
that  he  said,  "  Come  with  me,  Micky  Mor,  to  my 
castle  to  dinner." 


156  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

The  three  were  then  passing  along  by  the 
strand  of  Ard  na  Conye  to  the  Gruagach's  castle, 
when  whom  should  they  meet  but  a  champion  who 
began  to  talk  with  the  men;  but,  seeing  Eilin 
Og,  he  stopped  on  a  sudden  and  asked  Micky 
Mor,  "Who  is  this  woman  with  you?  I  think 
there  is  not  another  of  such  beauty  in  all  the 
great  world." 

"That  is  my  wife,  Eilin  Og,"  said  Micky  Mor. 

**  It  is  to  find  her  that  I  am  here,  and  to  take 
her  in  spite  of  herself  or  her  father,"  said  the 
champion. 

"  If  you  take  her,  you  will  take  her  in  spite  of 
me,"  said  Micky  Mor;  "but  what  champion  are 
you  with  such  words  .^  " 

"I  am  Maragach  of  the  Green  Gloves  from 
Great  Island.  I  have  travelled  the  world  twice, 
and  have  met  no  man  to  match  me.  No  weapons 
have  hurt  my  skin  yet  or  my  body.  Where  are 
your  arms  of  defence  in  this  great  world,  Micky 
Mor.?" 

"  I  have  never  wished  for  a  weapon  but  my  own 
two  fists  that  were  born  with  me." 

"  I  name  you  now  and  forever,"  said  Maragach, 
"the  Big  Fool  (Amadan  Mor)." 

"Not  talk  of  the  mouth  performs  deeds  of 
valor,  but  active,  strong  bones.  Let  us  draw 
back  now,  and  close  with  each  other.     We  shall 


The  Amadan  Mor  and  the  Gruagach.    157 

know  then  who  is  the  best  man ;  and  if  there  is 
valor  in  you,  as  you  say,  you  dirty  little  Mara- 
gach,  I  will  give  you  a  blow  with  strength  that 
will  open  your  mouth  to  the  bone." 

They  went  toward  each  other  then  threaten- 
ingly, and  closed  like  two  striking  Balors  or  two 
wild  boars  in  the  days  of  the  Fenians,  or  two 
hawks  of  Cold  Cliff,  or  two  otters  of  Blue  Pool. 
They  met  in  close,  mighty  struggle,  with  more 
screeching  than  comes  from  a  thousand.  They 
made  high  places  low,  and  low  places  high. 
The  clods  that  were  shot  away  by  them,  as  they 
wrestled,  struck  out  the  eye  of  the  hag  in  the 
Eastern  World,  and  she  spinning  thread  at  her 
wheel. 

Now  Maragach  drew  his  sword  strong,  keen- 
edged,  and  flawless ;  this  sword  always  took  with 
the  second  blow  what  it  did  not  cut  with  the 
first;  but  there  was  no  blow  of  it  that  time  which 
the  Big  Fool  did  not  dodge,  and  when  the  sun 
was  yellow  at  setting,  the  sword  was  in  small 
bits,  save  what  remained  in  the  hand  of  the 
champion.  That  moment  the  Fool  struck  the 
champion  a  blow  'twixt  neck  and  skull,  and  took 
the  head  off  his  body. 

The  three  went  on  then  to  the  castle  of  Dun 
an  Oir  (Castle  of  Gold),  and  had  a  fine  dinner. 
During  the  dinner   they   were   discoursing   and 


158  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

telling  tales;  and  the  Gruagach's  wife  took 
greatly  to  heart  the  looks  that  her  husband  was 
giving  Eilin  Og,  and  asked,  "Which  is  it  that 
you  will  have,  Negil  Og's  daughter  or  the  wife 
of  the  Big  Fool?" 

Said  Eilin  Og  to  the  Gruagach's  wife,  "This 
man's  name  is  not  the  Big  Fool  in  truth  or  in 
justice,  for  he  is  a  hero  strong  and  active ;  he  is 
master  of  all  alive  and  of  every  place.  All  the 
world  is  under  his  command,  and  I  with  the 
rest." 

"  If  he  is  all  this,  why  did  he  let  the  legs  go 
from  him.?  "  asked  the  Gruagach's  wife. 

Eilin  Og  answered,  "I  have  said  that  he  has 
high  virtues  and  powers ;  and  only  for  the  drink 
that  was  brought  him  in  the  dark  lonely  glen, 
he  would  not  have  let  the  legs  go  from  him." 

The  Gruagach  was  in  dread  that  the  Big  Fool 
might  grow  angry  over  their  talks,  and  that 
enchantment  would  not  get  the  upper  hand  of 
strength,  and  said,  "Give  no  heed  to  woman's 
talk,  Micky  Mor,  but  guard  my  castle,  my  prop- 
erty, and  my  wife,  while  I  go  to  the  Dun  of  the 
Hunt  and  return." 

"If  any  man  comes  in  in  spite  of  me,"  said 
Micky  Mor,  "while  you  are  absent,  believe  me,  he 
will  not  go  out  in  spite  of  me  till  you  return." 

The   Gruagach  went   off   then,   and   with   the 


The  Amadan  Mor  and  the  Gruagach,     159 

power  of  his  enchantment  put  a  heavy  sleep  on 
Micky  Mor. 

"Eilin  Og,"  said  he,  "come  quickly  under  my 
head,  for  over-strong  sleep  has  come  on  me." 

Eilin  Og  came  under  his  head,  and  he  got  a 
short  nap  of  sleep.  The  Gruagach  returned  soon 
in  a  different  form  altogether,  and  he  took  a  kiss 
from  his  own  wife. 

"Oh,"  said  Eilin  Og  to  her  husband,  "you 
are  in  your  sleep,  and  it  is  to  my  grief  that  you 
are  in  it,  and  not  at  the  right  time." 

Micky  Mor  heard  her,  and  he,  between  sleep- 
ing and  waking,  gave  one  leap  from  his  body 
when  he  heard  Eilin  Og's  words,  and  stopped  at 
the  door.  It  would  have  been  a  greater  task  to 
break  any  anvil  or  block  made  by  blacksmith 
or  wood-worker,  than  to  force  the  Big  Fool  from 
the  door. 

"Micky  Mor,"  said  the  Gruagach,  disguised, 
"let  me  out." 

"I  will  not  let  you  out  till  the  Gruagach  of 
Dun  an  Oir  comes  home,  and  then  you  will  pay 
for  the  kiss  that  you  took  from  his  wife." 

"  I  will  give  you  a  leg  swift  and  strong  as  your 
own  was ;  it  is  a  leg  I  took  from  the  Knight  of 
the  Cross  when  he  was  entering  his  ship." 

"If  you  give  me  one  of  my  legs  swift  and 
strong  as  ever,  perhaps  I  may  let  you  go  out." 


i6o  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

That  moment  the  Fool  got  the  leg.  He 
jumped  up  then,  and  said,  "This  is  my  own  leg, 
as  strong  and  as  active  as  ever. 

"  The  other  leg  now,  or  your  head ! "  said 
Micky  Mor. 

The  Gruagach  gave  him  the  other  leg,  blew  it 
under  him  with  power  of  enchantment.  Micky 
Mor  jumped  up.  "These  are  my  own  legs  in 
strength  and  activity.  You  '11  not  go  out  of  this 
now  till  the  Gruagach  comes,  and  you  pay  for  the 
kiss  you  took  from  his  wife." 

"I  have  no  wish  to  knock  a  trial  out  of  you," 
said  the  Gruagach,  and  he  changed  himself  into 
his  own  form  again.  "You  see  who  I  am;  and  I 
am  the  huntsman  who  took  your  legs  with  the 
drink  that  you  got  from  the  cup,  and  I  am  your 
own  brother  born  and  bred. " 

"Where  were  you,"  asked  the  Big  Fool,  "when 
my  father  was  killed  with  all  his  men  ?  " 

"I  was  in  the  Eastern  World  at  that  time, 
learning  enchantment  and  magic." 

"If  you  are  my  brother,"  said  the  Big  Fool, 
"we  will  go  with  each  other  forevermore.  Come 
with  me  now  to  such  a  wood.  We  will  fight 
there  four  giants  who  are  doing  great  harm  to  our 
people  these  many  years." 

"Dear  brother,"  said  the  Gruagach,  "there  is 
no  use  for  us  to  go  against  the  four  giants ;  they 


The  Amadan  Mor  and  the  Gruagach.    i6i 

are  too  powerful  and  strong  for  us,  they  will  kill 
us." 

"Let  me  fight  with  three  of  them,"  said  Micky 
Mor,  "and  I  *11  not  leave  a  foot  or  a  hand  of  them 
living  on  earth;  you  can  settle  one." 

The  Gruagach  had  his  great  stallion  of  the 
road  brought  from  the  stable  for  himself  and  his 
brother  to  ride.  When  they  led  him  out,  the 
stallion  gave  three  neighs,  —  a  neigh  of  lamenta- 
tion, a  neigh  of  loyalty,  and  a  neigh  of  gladness. 

This  stallion  had  the  three  qualities  of  Fin 
Mac  Cool's  slim  bay  steed,  — a  keen  rush  against 
a  hill,  a  swift  run  on  the  level,  a  high  running 
leap;  three  qualities  of  the  fox,  — the  gait  of  a 
fox  gay  and  proud,  a  look  straight  ahead  taking 
in  both  sides  and  turning  to  no  side,  neat  in  his 
tread  on  the  road;  three  qualities  of  a  bull,  — a 
full  eye,  a  thick  neck,  a  bold  forehead. 

They  rode  to  the  forest  of  the  giants;  and  the 
moment  they  entered,  the  giants  sniffed  them, 
and  one  of  them  cried  out,  "  I  find  the  smell  of 
men  from  Erin,  their  livers  and  lights  for  my 
supper  of  nights,  their  blood  for  my  morning 
dram,  their  jawbones  for  stepping-stones,  and 
their  shins  for  hurleys.  We  think  you  are  too 
big  for  one  bite  and  too  small  for  two  bites,  and 
sooner  or  later  we  *11  have  you  out  of  the  way." 

The  Big  Fool  and  three  of  the  giants  made  at 
II 


1 62  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

one  another  then;  and  he  didn't  leave  a  hand 
nor  a  foot  of  the  three  alive.  He  stood  looking 
then  at  his  brother  and  the  other  giant.  The 
young  Gruagach  was  getting  too  much  from  the 
giant;  and  he  called  out,  "Dear  born  brother, 
give  me  some  aid,  or  the  giant  will  put  me  out 
of  the  world." 

"I  will  give  him,"  said  the  Big  Fool,  "a  blow 
of  my  fist  that  will  drive  his  head  through  the 
air." 

He  ran  to  him  then,  gave  the  giant  one  blow 
under  the  jawbone,  and  sent  his  head  through 
the  air.  It  is  not  known  to  man,  woman, 
or  child  to  this  day  where  the  head  stopped, 
or  did  it  stop  in  any  place. 


THE   KING'S   SON   AND   THE  WHITE- 
BEARDED   SCOLOG. 

TVrOT  in  our  time,  nor  the  time  of  our  fathers, 
but  long  ago,  there  lived  an  old  king  in 
Erin.  This  king  had  but  the  one  son,  and  the 
son  had  risen  up  to  be  a  fine  strong  hero;  no 
man  in  the  kingdom  could  stand  before  him  in 
combat. 

The  queen  was  dead,  and  the  king  was  gloomy 
and  bitter  in  himself  because  old  age  was  on 
him.  The  strength  had  gone  from  his  limbs, 
and  gladness  from  his  heart.  No  matter  what 
people  said,  they  could  not  drive  sorrow  from 
him. 

One  day  the  king  called  up  his  son,  and  this  is 
what  he  said  to  him,  "  You  are  of  age  to  marry. 
We  cannot  tell  how  long  I  '11  be  here,  and  it 
would  cheer  and  delight  me  to  see  your  wife; 
she  might  be  a  daughter  to  me  in  my  last  days." 

"I  am  willing  to  obey  you,"  said  the  son;  "but 
I  know  no  woman  that  I  care  for.  I  have  never 
seen  any  one  that  I  would  marry." 


164  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

With  that,  the  old  king  sent  for  a  druid,  and 
said,  "  You  must  tell  where  my  son  can  find  the 
right  bride  for  himself.  You  must  tell  us  what 
woman  he  should  marry. " 

"There  is  but  one  woman,"  said  the  druid, 
"  who  can  be  the  right  wife  for  your  son,  and  she 
is  the  youngest  daughter  of  the  white-bearded 
scolog;  she  is  the  wisest  young  woman  in  the 
world,  and  has  the  most  power." 

"Where  does  her  father  live,  and  how  are  we  to 
settle  it?  "  asked  the  king  of  the  druid. 

"  I  have  no  knowledge  of  the  place  where  that 
scolog  lives,"  said  the  druid,  "and  there  is  no 
one  here  who  knows.  Your  son  must  go  himself, 
and  walk  the  world  till  he  finds  the  young 
woman.  If  he  finds  her  and  gets  her,  he  '11  have 
the  best  bride  that  ever  came  to  a  king's  son." 

"I  am  willing  to  go  in  search  of  the  scolog's 
daughter,"  said  the  young  man,  "and  I'll  never 
stop  till  I  find  her." 

With  that,  he  left  his  father  and  the  druid,  and 
never  stopped  till  he  went  to  his  foster-mother 
and  told  her  the  whole  story,  —  told  her  the  wish 
of  his  father,  and  the  advice  the  old  druid  had 
given  him. 

"  My  three  brothers  live  on  the  road  you  must 
travel,"  said  the  foster-mother;  "and  the  eldest 
one  knows  how  to  find  that  scolog,  but  without 


King  s  Son  and  White-bearded  Scolog,    165 

the  friendship  of  all  of  them,  you  '11  not  be  able 
to  make  the  journey,  I'll  give  you  something 
that  will  gain  their  good-will  for  you." 

With  that,  she  went  to  an  inner  room,  and  made 
three  cakes  of  flour  and  baked  them.  When  the 
three  were  ready,  she  brought  them  out,  and  gave 
them  to  the  young  man. 

"When  you  come  to  my  youngest  brother's 
castle,"  said  she,  "he  will  rush  at  you  to  kill 
you,  but  do  you  strike  him  on  the  breast  with 
one  of  the  cakes;  that  minute  he  '11  be  friendly, 
and  give  you  good  entertainment.  The  second 
brother  and  the  eldest  will  meet  you  like  the 
youngest." 

On  the  following  morning,  the  king's  son  left 
a  blessing  with  his  foster-mother,  took  one  for 
the  road  from  her,  and  went  away  carrying  the 
three  cakes  with  him.  He  travelled  that  day 
with  great  swiftness  over  hills  and  through 
valleys,  past  great  towns  and  small  villages,  and 
never  stopped  nor  stayed  till  he  came  in  the 
evening  to  a  very  large  castle.  In  he  went,  and 
inside  was  a  woman  before  him. 

"God  save  you!  "  said  he  to  the  woman. 

"God  save  yourself!"  said  she;  "and  will  you 
tell  me  what  brought  you  the  way,  and  where  are 
you  going  .^ " 

"I  came  here,"  said  the  king's  son,  "to  see 
the  giant  of  this  castle,  and  to  speak  with  him." 


1 66  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"Be  said  by  me,"  replied  the  woman,  "and  go 
away  out  of  this  without  waiting  for  the  giant." 

"I  will  not  go  without  seeing  him,"  said  the 
king's  son.  "  I  have  never  set  eyes  on  a  giant, 
and  I  '11  see  this  one." 

"I  pity  you,"  said  the  woman;  "your  time  is 
short  in  this  life.  You  '11  not  be  long  without 
seeing  the  giant,  and  it  *s  not  much  you  '11  see 
in  this  world  after  setting  eyes  on  him;  and  it 
would  be  better  for  you  to  take  a  drink  of  wine 
to  give  you  strength  before  he  comes." 

The  king's  son  had  barely  swallowed  the  wine 
when  he  heard  a  great  noise  beyond  the  castle. 

"  Fee,  faw,  fob ! "  roared  some  one,  in  a  thun- 
dering voice. 

The  king's  son  looked  out;  and  what  should 
he  see  but  the  giant  with  a  shaggy  goat  going 
out  in  front  of  him  and  another  coming  on  be- 
hind, a  dead  hag  above  on  his  shoulder,  a  great 
hog  of  a  wild  boar  under  his  left  arm,  and  a  yel- 
low flea  on  the  club  which  he  held  in  his  right 
hand  before  him. 

"  I  don't  know  will  I  blow  you  into  the  air  or 
put  my  foot  on  you,"  said  the  giant,  when  he 
set  eyes  on  the  king's  son.  With  that,  he  threw 
his  load  to  the  ground,  and  was  making  at  his 
visitor  to  kill  him  when  the  young  man  struck 
the  giant  on  the  breast  with  one  of  the  three 
cakes  which  he  had  from  the  foster-mother. 


Kings  Son  and  White-bearded  Scolog.    167 

That  minute  the  giant  knew  who  was  before 
him,  and  called  out,  "  Is  n't  it  the  fine  welcome 
I  was  giving  my  sister's  son  from  Erin?  " 

With  that,  he  changed  entirely,  and  was  so 
glad  to  see  the  king's  son  that  he  did  n't  know 
what  to  do  for  him  or  where  to  put  him.  He 
made  a  great  feast  that  evening;  the  two  ate 
and  drank  with  contentment  and  delight.  The 
giant  was  so  pleased  with  the  king's  son  that 
he  took  him  to  his  own  bed.  He  was  n't  three 
minutes  in  the  bed  when  he  was  sound  asleep 
and  snoring.  With  every  breath  that  the  giant 
took  in,  he  drew  the  king's  son  into  his  mouth 
and  as  far  as  the  butt  of  his  tongue;  with  every 
breath  that  he  sent  out,  he  drove  him  to  the 
rafters  of  the  castle,  and  the  king's  son  was  that 
way  going  up  and  down  between  the  bed  and  the 
roof  until  daybreak,  when  the  giant  let  a  breath 
out  of  him,  and  closed  his  mouth;  next  moment 
the  king's  son  was  down  on  his  lips. 

"What  are  you  doing  to  me?  "  cried  the  giant. 

"Nothing,"  said  the  king's  son;  "but  you 
did  n't  let  me  close  an  eye  all  the  night.  With 
every  breath  you  let  out  of  you,  you  drove  me 
up  to  the  rafters ;  and  with  every  breath  you  took 
in,  you  drew  me  into  your  mouth  and  as  far  as 
the  butt  of  your  tongue." 

"Why  did  n't  you  wake  me?  " 


1 68  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"  How  could  I  wake  you  when  time  failed  me 
to  do  it  ?  " 

"Oh,  then,  sister's  son  from  Erin,"  said  the 
giant,  "it's  the  poor  night's  rest  I  gave  you; 
but  if  you  had  a  bad  bed,  you  must  have  a  good 
breakfast. " 

With  that,  the  giant  rose,  and  the  two  ate  the 
best  breakfast  that  could  be  had  out  of  Erin. 

After  breakfast,  the  king's  son  took  the  giant's 
blessing  with  him,  and  left  his  own  behind.  He 
travelled  all  that  day  with  great  speed  and  with- 
out halt  or  rest,  till  he  came  in  the  evening  to  the 
castle  of  the  second  giant.  In  front  of  the  door 
was  a  pavement  of  sharp  razors,  edges  upward, 
a  pavement  which  no  man  could  walk  on.  Long, 
poisonous  needles,  set  as  thickly  as  bristles  in  a 
brush,  were  fixed,  points  downward,  under  the 
lintel  of  the  door,   and  the  door  was  low. 

The  king's  son  went  in  with  one  start  over 
the  razors  and  under  the  needles,  without  grazing 
his  head  or  cutting  his  feet.  When  inside,  he 
saw  a  woman  before  him. 

"  God  save  you !  "  said  the  king's  son. 

"God  save  yourself! "  said  the  woman. 

The  same  conversation  passed  between  them 
then  as  passed  between  himself  and  the  woman 
in  the  first  castle. 

"God  help  you!"   said  the  woman,  when  she 


Kings  Son  a7id  White-bearded  Scolog.    169 

heard  his  story.  "  'T  is  not  long  you  '11  be  alive 
after  the  giant  comes.  Here  's  a  drink  of  wine 
to  strengthen  you." 

Barely  had  he  the  wine  swallowed  when  there 
was  a  great  noise  behind  the  castle,  and  the  next 
moment  the  giant  came  in  with  a  thundering  and 
rattling. 

"Who  is  this  that  I  see.?  "  asked  he,  and  with 
that,  he  sprang  at  the  stranger  to  put  the  life  out 
of  him;  but  the  king's  son  struck  him  on  the 
breast  with  the  second  cake  which  he  got  from 
his  foster-mother.  That  moment  the  giant  knew 
him,  and  called  out,  "  A  strange  welcome  I  had 
for  you,  sister's  son  from  Erin,  but  you  '11  get 
good  treatment  from  me  now." 

The  giant  and  the  king's  son  made  three  parts 
of  that  night.  One  part  they  spent  in  telling 
tales,  the  second  in  eating  and  drinking,  and  the 
third  in  sound,  sweet  slumber. 

Next  morning  the  young  man  went  away  after 
breakfast,  and  never  stopped  till  he  came  to  the 
castle  of  the  third  giant;  and  a  beautiful  castle 
it  was,  thatched  with  the  down  of  cotton  grass, 
the  roof  was  as  white  as  milk,  beautiful  to  look 
at  from  afar  or  near  by.  The  third  giant  was 
as  angry  at  meeting  him  as  the  other  two;  but 
when  he  was  struck  in  the  breast  with  the  third 
cake,  he  was  as  kind  as  the  best  man  could  be. 


1 70  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland. 

When  they  had  taken  supper  together,  the 
giant  said  to  his  sister's  son,  "Will  you  tell  me 
what  journey  you  are  on  ?  " 

"I  will,  indeed,"  said  the  king's  son;  and  he 
told  his  whole  story  from  beginning  to  end. 

"It  is  well  that  you  told  me,"  said  the  giant, 
"for  I  can  help  you;  and  if  you  do  what  I  tell, 
you  '11  finish  your  journey  in  safety.  At  midday 
to-morrow  you'll  come  to  a  lake;  hide  in  the 
rushes  that  are  growing  at  one  side  of  the  water. 
You  '11  not  be  long  there  when  twelve  swans  will 
alight  near  the  rushes  and  take  the  crests  from 
their  heads;  with  that,  the  swan  skins  will  fall 
from  them,  and  they  will  rise  up  the  most  beau- 
tiful women  that  you  have  ever  set  eyes  on. 
When  they  go  in  to  bathe,  take  the  crest  of  the 
youngest,  put  it  in  your  bosom  next  the  skin, 
take  the  eleven  others  and  hold  them  in  your 
hand.  When  the  young  women  come  out,  give 
the  eleven  crests  to  their  owners ;  but  when  the 
twelfth  comes,  you  '11  not  give  her  the  crest 
unless  she  carries  you  to  her  father's  castle  in 
Ardilawn  Dreeachta  (High  Island  of  Enchant- 
ment). She  will  refuse,  and  say  that  strength 
fails  her  to  carry  you,  and  she  will  beg  for  the 
crest.  Be  firm,  and  keep  it  in  your  bosom ;  never 
give  it  up  till  she  promises  to  take  you.  She  will 
do  that  when  she  sees  there  is  no  help  for  it. " 


Kings  Son  and  White-bearded  Scolog,     1 7 1 

Next  morning  the  king's  son  set  out  after 
breakfast,  and  at  midday  he  was  hidden  in  the 
rushes.  He  was  barely  there  when  the  swans 
came.  Everything  happened  as  the  giant  had 
said,  and  the  king's  son  followed  his  counsels. 

When  the  twelve  swans  came  out  of  the  lake, 
he  gave  the  eleven  crests  to  the  older  ones,  but 
kept  the  twelfth,  the  crest  of  the  youngest,  and 
gave  it  only  when  she  promised  to  carry  him  to 
her  father's.  The  moment  she  put  the  crest  on 
her  head,  she  was  in  love  with  the  king's  son. 
When  she  came  in  sight  of  the  island,  however 
much  she  loved  him  when  they  started  from  the 
lakeside,  she  loved  him  twice  as  much  now.  She 
came  to  the  ground  at  some  distance  from  the 
castle,  and  said  to  the  young  man  at  parting,  — 

"Thousands  of  kings'  sons  and  champions  have 
come  to  give  greeting  to  my  father  at  the  door  of 
his  castle,  but  every  man  of  them  perished.  You 
will  be  saved  if  you  obey  me.  Stand  with  your 
right  foot  inside  the  threshold  and  your  left  foot 
outside;  put  your  head  under  the  lintel.  If  your 
head  is  inside,  my  father  will  cut  it  from  your 
shoulders ;  if  it  is  outside,  he  will  cut  it  off  also. 
If  it  is  under  the  lintel  when  you  cry  'God  save 
you ! '  he  '11  let  you  go  in  safety." 

They  parted  there ;  she  went  to  her  own  place 
and  he  went  to  the  scolog's  castle,  put  his  right 


172  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

foot  inside  the  threshold,  his  left  foot  outside, 
and  his  head  under  the  lintel.  "God  save  you!  " 
called  he  to  the  scolog. 

"A  blessing  on  you!"  cried  the  scolog,  "but 
my  curse  on  your  teacher.  I  '11  give  you  lodg- 
ings to-night,  and  I  '11  come  to  you  myself  in  the 
morning;  "  and  with  that  he  sent  a  servant  with 
the  king's  son  to  a  building  outside.  The  ser- 
vant took  a  bundle  of  straw  with  some  turf  and 
potatoes,  and,  putting  these  down  inside  the  door, 
said,  "  Here  are  bed,  supper,  and  fire  for  you. " 

The  king's  son  made  no  use  of  food  or  bed, 
and  he  had  no  need  of  them,  for  the  scolog's 
daughter  came  soon  after,  spread  a  cloth,  took 
a  small  bundle  from  her  pocket,  and  opened  it. 
That  moment  the  finest  food  and  drink  were  there 
before  them. 

The  king's  son  ate  and  drank  with  relish,  and 
good  reason  he  had  after  the  long  journey. 
When  supper  was  over,  the  young  woman  whittled 
a  small  shaving  from  a  staff  which  she  brought 
with  her;  and  that  moment  the  finest  bed  that 
any  man  could  have  was  there  in  the  room. 

"I  will  leave  you  now,"  said  she;  "my  father 
will  come  early  in  the  morning  to  give  you  a 
task.  Before  he  comes,  turn  the  bed  over;  'twill 
be  a  shaving  again,  and  then  you  can  throw 
it  into  the  fire.  I  will  make  you  a  new  bed 
to-morrow." 


Kings  Son  and  White-bearded  Scolog.    1 73 

With  that,  she  went  away,  and  the  young  man 
slept  till  daybreak.  Up  he  sprang,  then  turned 
the  bed  over,  made  a  shaving  of  it,  and  burned 
it.  It  was  not  long  till  the  scolog  came,  and 
this  is  what  he  said  to  the  king's  son,  *'  I  have  a 
task  for  you  to-day,  and  I  hope  you  will  be  able 
to  do  it.  There  is  a  lake  on  my  land  not  far 
from  this,  and  a  swamp  at  one  side  of  it.  You 
are  to  drain  that  lake  and  dry  the  swamp  for  me, 
and  have  the  work  finished  this  evening;  if  not, 
I  will  take  the  head  from  you  at  sunset.  To 
drain  the  lake,  you  are  to  dig  through  a  neck  of 
land  two  miles  in  width;  here  is  a  good  spade, 
and  I'll  show  you  the  place  where  you're  to 
use  it." 

The  king's  son  went  with  the  scolog,  who 
showed  the  ground,   and  then  left  him. 

"What  am  I  to  do.^"  said  the  king's  son. 
"  Sure,  a  thousand  men  could  n't  dig  that  land  out 
in  ten  years,  and  they  working  night  and  day; 
how  am  I  to  do  it  between  this  and  sunset.?  " 

However  it  was,  he  began  to  dig;  but  if  he  did, 
for  every  sod  he  threw  out,  seven  sods  came  in, 
and  soon  he  saw  that,  in  place  of  mending  his 
trouble, 'twas  making  it  worse  he  was.  He  cast 
aside  the  spade  then,  sat  down  on  the  sod  heap, 
and  began  to  lament.  He  was  n't  long  there 
when  the  scolog's  daughter  came  with  a  cloth 
in  her  hand  and  the  small  bundle  in  her  pocket. 


174  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"Why  are  you  lamenting  there  like  a  child?  " 
asked  she  of  the  king's  son. 

"Why  should  n't  I  lament  when  the  head  will 
be  taken  from  me  at  sunset  ?  " 

"  'T  is  a  long  time  from  this  to  sunset.  Eat 
your  breakfast  first  of  all;  see  what  will  happen 
then,"  said  she.  Taking  out  the  little  bundle, 
she  put  down  before  him  the  best  breakfast  a 
man  could  have.  While  he  was  eating,  she  took 
the  spade,  cut  out  one  sod,  and  threw  it  away. 
When  she  did  that,  every  spadeful  of  earth  in 
the  neck  of  land  followed  the  first  spadeful ;  the 
whole  neck  of  land  was  gone,  and  before  midday 
there  was  n't  a  spoonful  of  water  in  the  lake  or 
the  swamp,  —  the  whole  place  was  dry. 

"You  have  your  head  saved  to-day,  whatever 
you  '11  do  to-morrow,"  said  she,  and  she  left 
him. 

Toward  evening  the  scolog  came,  and,  meeting 
the  king's  son,  cried  out,  "You  are  the  best  man 
that  ever  came  the  way,  or  that  ever  I  expected 
to  look  at." 

The  king's  son  went  to  his  lodging.  In  the 
evening  the  scolog' s  daughter  came  with  supper, 
and  made  a  bed  for  him  as  good  as  the  first  one. 
Next  morning  the  king's  son  rose  at  daybreak, 
destroyed  his  bed,  and  waited  to  see  what  would 
happen. 


Kings  Son  and  White-bearded  Scolog,    175 

The  scolog  came  early,  and  said,  "  I  have  a 
field  outside,  a  mile  long  and  a  mile  wide,  with 
a  very  tall  tree  in  the  middle  of  it.  Here  are 
two  wedges,  a  sharp  axe,  and  a  fine  new  draw- 
ing knife.  You  are  to  cut  down  the  tree,  and 
make  from  it  barrels  to  cover  the  whole  field. 
You  are  to  make  the  barrels  and  fill  them  with 
water  before  sunset,  or  the  head  will  be  taken 
from  you." 

The  king's  son  went  to  the  field,  faced  the 
tree,  and  gave  it  a  blow  with  his  axe ;  but  if  he 
did,  the  axe  bounded  back  from  the  trunk,  struck 
him  on  the  forehead,  stretched  him  on  the  flat 
of  his  back,  and  raised  a  lump  on  the  place  where 
it  hit  him.  He  gave  three  blows,  was  served 
each  time  in  the  same  way,  and  had  three  lumps 
on  his  forehead.  He  was  rising  from  the  third 
blow,  the  life  almost  gone  from  him,  and  he 
crying  bitterly,  when  the  scolog's  daughter  came 
with  his  breakfast.  While  he  was  eating  the 
breakfast,  she  struck  one  little  chip  from  the  tree; 
that  chip  became  a  barrel,  and  then  the  whole 
tree  turned  into  barrels,  which  took  their  places 
in  rows,  and  covered  the  field.  Between  the  rows 
there  was  just  room  for  a  man  to  walk.  Not  a 
barrel  but  was  filled  with  water.  From  a  chip 
she  had  in  her  hand,  the  young  woman  made  a 
wooden  dipper,  from  another  chip  she  made  a 
pail,  and  said  to  the  king's  son,  -^ 


176  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"You  '11  have  these  in  your  two  hands,  and  be 
walking  up  and  down  between  the  rows  of  bar- 
rels, putting  a  little  water  into  this  and  a  little 
into  that  barrel.  When  my  father  comes,  he  will 
see  you  at  the  work  and  invite  you  to  the  castle 
to-night,  but  you  are  not  to  go  with  him.  You 
will  say  that  you  are  content  to  lodge  to-night 
where  you  lodged  the  other  nights."  With  that, 
she  went  away,  and  the  king's  son  was  going 
around  among  the  barrels  pouring  a  little  water 
into  one  and  another  of  them,  when  the  scolog 
came. 

"You  have  the  work  done,"  said  he,  "and  you 
must  come  to  the  castle  for  the  night." 

"  I  am  well  satisfied  to  lodge  where  I  am,  and 
to  sleep  as  I  slept  since  I  came  here,"  said  the 
young  man,  and  the  scolog  left  him. 

The  young  woman  brought  the  supper,  and  gave 
a  fresh  bed.  Next  morning  the  scolog  came  the 
third  time,  and  said,  "Come  with  me  now;  I  have 
a  third  task  for  you."  With  that,  the  two  went 
to  a  quarry. 

"Here  are  tools,"  said  the  scolog,  pointing  to 
a  crowbar,  a  pickaxe,  a  trowel,  and  every  im- 
plement used  in  quarrying  and  building.  "You 
are  to  quarry  stones  to-day,  and  build  between 
this  and  sunset  the  finest  and  largest  castle 
in  the  world,  with  outhouses  and  stables,  with 
cellars    and    kitchens.      There    must   be   cooks. 


King  s  Son  and  White-bearded  Scolog.     177 

with  men  and  women  to  serve;  there  must  be 
dishes  and  utensils  of  every  kind  and  furniture 
of  every  description;  not  a  thing  is  to  be  lack- 
ing, or  the  head  will  go  from  you  this  evening 
at  sunset." 

The  scolog  went  home;  and  the  king's  son 
began  to  quarry  with  crowbar  and  pickaxe,  and 
though  he  worked  hard,  the  morning  was  far  gone 
when  he  had  three  small  pieces  of  stone  quarried. 
He  sat  down  to  lament. 

**  Why  are  you  lamenting  this  morning?  "  asked 
the  scolog' s  daughter,  who  came  now  with  his 
breakfast. 

"Why  shouldn't  I  lament  when  the  head  will 
be  gone  from  me  this  evening.?  I  am  to  quarry 
stones,  and  build  the  finest  castle  in  the  world 
before  sunset.  Ten  thousand  men  couldn't  do 
the  work  in  ten  years." 

"Take  your  breakfast,"  said  the  young  woman; 
"you .'11  see  what  to  do  after  that." 

While  he  was  eating,  she  quarried  one  stone; 
and  the  next  moment  every  stone  in  the  quarry  that 
was  needed  took  its  place  in  the  finest  and  largest 
castle  ever  built,  with  outhouses  and  cellars  and 
kitchens.  A  moment  later,  all  the  people  were 
there,  men  and  women,  with  utensils  of  all 
kinds.  Everything  was  finished  but  a  small  spot 
at  the  principal  fireplace. 

12 


1 78  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland, 

"The  castle  is  ready/'  said  the  scolog's  daugh- 
ter; "your  head  will  stay  with  you  to-day,  and 
there  are  no  more  tasks  before  you  at  present. 
Here  is  a  trowel  and  mortar;  you  will  be 
finishing  this  small  spot  at  the  fire  when  my 
father  comes.  He  will  invite  you  to  his  castle 
to-night,  and  you  are  to  go  with  him  this  time. 
After  dinner,  he  will  seat  you  at  a  table,  and 
throw  red  wheat  on  it  from  his  pocket.  I  have 
two  sisters  older  than  I  am;  they  and  I  will  fly 
in  and  alight  on  the  table  in  the  form  of  three 
pigeons,  and  we'll  be  eating  the  wheat;  my 
father  will  tell  you  to  choose  one  of  his  three 
daughters  to  marry.  You'll  know  me  by  this: 
there  will  be  a  black  quill  in  one  of  my  wings. 
I  '11  show  it;  choose  me." 

All  happened  as  the  scolog's  daughter  said; 
and  when  the  king's  son  was  told  to  make  his 
choice  in  the  evening,  he  chose  the  pigeon  that 
he  wanted.  The  three  sprang  from  the  table,  and 
when  they  touched  the  floor,  they  were  three 
beautiful  women.  A  dish  priest  and  a  wooden 
clerk  were  brought  to  the  castle,  and  the  two 
were  married  that  evening. 

A  month  passed  in  peace  and  enjoyment;  but 
the  king's  son  wished  to  go  back  now  to  Erin 
to  his  father.  He  told  the  wife  what  he  wanted ; 
and  this  is  what  she  said  to  him,  "My  father  will 


Kings  Son  and  White-bearded  Scolog.     1 79 

refuse  you  nothing.  He  will  tell  you  to  go, 
though  he  does  n't  wish  to  part  with  you.  He 
will  give  you  his  blessing;  but  this  is  all  pre- 
tence, for  he  will  follow  us  to  kill  us.  You 
must  have  a  horse  for  the  journey,  and  the  right 
horse.  He  will  send  a  man  with  you  to  three 
fields.  In  the  first  field  are  the  finest  horses 
that  you  have  ever  laid  eyes  on ;  take  none  of 
them.  In  the  second  field  are  splendid  horses, 
but  not  so  fine  as  in  the  first  field ;  take  none  of 
these  either.  In  the  third  field,  in  the  farthest 
corner,  near  the  river,  is  a  long-haired,  shaggy, 
poor  little  old  mare;  take  that  one.  The  old 
mare  is  my  mother.  She  has  great  power,  but 
not  so  much  as  my  father,  who  made  her  what 
she  is,  because  she  opposed  him.  I  will  meet 
you  beyond  the  hill,  and  we  shall  not  be  seen 
from  the  castle." 

The  king's  son  brought  the  mare;  and  when 
they  mounted  her,  wings  came  from  her  sides, 
and  she  was  the  grandest  steed  ever  seen.  Away 
she  flew  over  mountains,  hills,  and  valleys,  till 
they  came  to  the  seashore,  and  then  they  flew 
over  the  sea. 

When  the  servant  man  went  home,  and  the 
scolog  knew  what  horse  they  had  chosen,  he 
turned  himself  and  his  two  daughters  into  red 
fire,  and  shot  after  the  couple.     No  matter  how 


i8o  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

swiftly  the  mare  moved,  the  scolog  travelled 
faster,  and  was  coming  up.  When  the  three 
reached  the  opposite  shore  of  the  sea,  the  daugh- 
ter saw  her  father  coming,  and  turned  the  mare 
into  a  small  boat,  the  king's  son  into  a  fisher- 
man, and  made  a  fishing-rod  of  herself.  Soon 
the  scolog  came,  and  his  two  daughters  with  him. 

"  Have  you  seen  a  man  and  a  woman  passing 
the  way  riding  on  a  mare.?"  asked  he  of  the 
fisherman. 

"I  have,"  said  the  fisherman.  "You*ll  soon 
overtake  them. '* 

On  went  the  scolog;  and  he  never  stopped  till 
he  raced  around  the  whole  world,  and  came  back 
to  his  own  castle. 

*'0h,  then,  we  were  the  fools,"  said  the  scolog 
to  his  daughters.  "  Sure,  they  were  the  fisher- 
man, the  boat,  and  the  rod." 

Off  they  went  a  second  time  in  three  balls  of 
red  fire;  and  they  were  coming  near  again  when 
the  scolog's  youngest  daughter  made  a  spinning- 
wheel  of  her  mother,  a  bundle  of  flax  of  herself, 
and  an  old  woman  of  her  husband.  Up  rushed 
the  scolog,  and  spoke  to  the  spinner,  "  Have  you 
seen  a  mare  pass  the  way  and  two  on  her  back.?  " 
asked  he. 

"I  have,  indeed,"  said  the  old  woman;  "and 
she  is  not  far  ahead  of  you." 


Kings  Son  and  White-bearded  Scolog,     1 8 1 

Away  rushed  the  scolog;  and  he  never  stopped 
till  he  raced  around  the  whole  world,  and  came 
back  to  his  own  castle  a  second  time. 

"  Oh,  but!  we  were  the  fools !  "  said  the  scolog. 
"  Sure,  they  were  the  old  woman  with  the  spin- 
ning-wheel and  the  flax,  and  they  are  gone  from 
us  now ;  for  they  are  in  Erin,  and  we  cannot  take 
our  power  over  the  border,  nor  work  against  them 
unless  they  are  outside  of  Erin.  There  is  no  use 
in  our  following  them;  we  might  as  well  stay 
where  we  are." 

The  scolog  and  his  daughters  remained  in  the 
castle  at  Ardilawn  of  Enchantment;  but  the 
king's  son  rode  home  on  the  winged  mare,  with 
his  wife  on  a  pillion  behind  him. 

When  near  the  castle  of  the  old  king  in  Erin, 
the  couple  dismounted,  and  the  mare  took  her 
own  form  of  a  woman.  She  could  do  that  in 
Erin.  The  three  never  stopped  till  they  went 
to  the  old  king.  Great  was  the  welcome  before 
them ;  and  if  ever  there  was  joy  in  a  castle,  there 
was  joy  then  in  that  one. 


DYEERMUD  ULTA  AND  THE  KING  IN 
SOUTH  ERIN. 

THERE  was  a  king  in  South  Erin  once,  and 
he  had  an  only  daughter  of  great  beauty. 
The  daughter  said  that  she  would  marry  no  man 
but  the  man  who  would  sail  to  her  father's  castle 
in  a  three-masted  ship,  and  the  castle  was  twenty 
miles  from  deep  water.  The  father  said  that 
even  if  the  daughter  was  willing,  he  'd  never  give 
her  to  any  man  but  the  man  who  would  come  in 
a  ship. 

Dyeermud  Ulta  was  the  grandson  of  a  great 
man  from  Spain  who  had  settled  in  Erin,  and 
he  lived  near  Kilcar.  Dyeermud  heard  of  the 
daughter  of  the  king  in  South  Erin,  and  fixed 
in  his  mind  to  provide  such  a  ship  and  go  to  the 
castle  of  the  king. 

Dyeermud  left  home  one  day,  and  was  walking 
toward  Killybegs,  thinking  how  to  find  such  a 
ship,  or  the  man  who  would  make  it.  When  he 
had  gone  as  far  as  Buttermilk  Cliff,  he  saw  a  red 
champion  coming  against  him  in  a  ship  that  was 


Dyeermud  Ulta  and  the  King,        183 

sailing  along  over  the  country  like  any  ship  on 
the  sea. 

**  What  journey  are  you  on  ?  "  asked  the  red 
champion  of  Dyeermud;  "and  where  are  you 
going?" 

"I  am  going,"  answered  Dyeermud,  "to  the 
castle  of  a  king  in  South  Erin  to  know  will  he 
give  me  his  daughter  in  marriage,  and  to  know 
if  the  daughter  herself  is  willing  to  marry  me. 
The  daughter  will  have  no  husband  unless  a  man 
who  brings  a  ship  to  her  father's  castle,  and  the 
king  will  give  her  to  no  other." 

"Come  with  me,"  said  the  red  man.  "Take 
me  as  comrade,  and  what  will  you  give  me." 

"  I  will  give  you  what  is  right,"  said  Dyeermud. 

"What  will  you  give  me.-*  " 

"I  will  give  you  the  worth  of  your  trouble." 

Dyeermud  went  in  the  ship,  and  they  sailed  on 
till  they  came  to  Conlun,  a  mile  above  Killybegs. 
There  they  saw  twelve  men  cutting  sods,  and  a 
thirteenth  eating  every  sod  that  they  cut. 

"  You  must  be  a  strange  man  to  eat  what  sods 
twelve  others  can  cut  for  you,"  said  Dyeermud; 
"  what  is  your  name  ?  " 

"Sod-eater." 

"We  are  going,"  said  the  red  man,  "to  the 
castle  of  a  king  in  South  Erin.  Will  you  come 
with  us .?  " 


184  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"  What  wages  will  you  give  me  ?  " 

"Five  gold-pieces,"  said  the  red  man. 

"I  will  go  with  you." 

The  three  sailed  on  till  they  came  to  the  river 
Kinvara,  one  mile  below  Killybegs,  and  saw  a 
man  with  one  foot  on  each  bank,  with  his  back 
toward  the  sea  and  his  face  to  the  current.  The 
man  did  not  let  one  drop  of  water  in  the  river 
pass  him,  but  drank  every  drop  of  it. 

"Oh,"  said  the  red  man,  "what  a  thirst  there 
is  on  you  to  drink  a  whole  river !  How  are  you 
so  thirsty }  " 

"  When  I  was  a  boy,  my  mother  used  to  send 
me  to  school,  and  I  did  not  wish  to  go  there.  She 
flogged  and  beat  me  every  day,  and  I  cried  and 
lamented  so  much  that  a  black  spot  rose  on  my 
heart  from  the  beating;  that  is  why  there  is  such 
thirst  on  me  now." 

"  What  is  your  name,  and  will  you  go  with  us }  " 

"My  name  is  Gulping-a-River.  I  will  go  with 
you  if  you  give  me  wages." 

"I  will  give  you  five  gold-pieces,"  said  the  red 
man. 

"I  will  go  with  you,"  said  Gulping-a-River. 

They  sailed  on  then  to  Howling  River,  within 
one  mile  of  Dun  Kinealy.  There  they  saw  a 
man  blowing  up  stream  with  one  nostril,  and  the 
other  stopped  with  a  plug. 


Dyeermud  Ulta  and  the  King.        185 

"  Why  blow  with  one  nostril  ? "  asked  the  red 
man. 

"If  I  were  to  blow  with  the  two,"  replied  the 
stranger,  "  I  would  send  you  with  your  ship  and 
all  that  are  in  it  up  into  the  sky  and  so  far  away 
that  you  would  never  come  back  again. " 

"  Who  are  you,  and  will  you  take  service  with 
me.?" 

**  My  name  is  Greedy-of-Blowing,  and  I  will  go 
with  you  for  wages. " 

"You  will  have  five  gold-pieces." 

"I  am  your  man,"  said  Greedy-of-Blowing. 

They  sailed  away  after  that  to  Bunlaky,  a  place 
one  mile  beyond  Dun  Kinealy;  and  there  they 
found  a  man  crushing  stones  with  the  end  of  his 
back,  by  sitting  down  on  them  suddenly. 

"What  are  you  doing  there.?"  asked  the  red 
man. 

"  My  name  is  Ironback,"  answered  the  stranger. 
"  I  am  breaking  stones  with  the  end  of  my  back 
to  make  a  mill,  a  bridge,  and  a  road." 

"  Will  you  come  with  us }  "  asked  the  red 
man. 

"I  will  for  just  wages,"  said  Ironback. 

"You  will  get  five  gold-pieces." 

"I  will  go  in  your  company,"  said  Ironback. 

They  went  on  sailing,  and  were  a  half  a  mile 
l^^low  Mount  Charles  when  they  saw  a  man  run- 


1 86  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

ning  up  against  them  faster  than  any  wind,  and 
one  leg  tied  to  his  shoulder. 

"Where  are  you  going,  and  what  is  your  hurry? 
Why  are  you  travelling  on  one  leg?"  asked  the 
red  man. 

"I  am  running  to  find  a  master,"  said  the 
other.  "  If  I  were  to  go  on  my  two  legs,  no  man 
could  see  me  or  set  eyes  on  me." 

"What  can  you  do?  I  may  take  you  in 
service." 

"I  am  a  very  good  messenger.  My  name  is 
Foot-on-Shoulder. " 

"  I  will  give  you  five  gold -pieces." 

"I  will  go  with  you,"  said  the  other. 

The  ship  moved  on  now,  and  never  stopped  till 
within  one  mile  of  Donegal  they  saw,  at  a  place 
called  Kilemard,  a  man  lying  in  a  grass  field  with 
his  cheek  to  the  earth. 

"What  are  you  doing  there?"  asked  the  red 
man. 

"  Holding  my  ear  to  the  ground,  and  hearing 
the  grass  grow." 

"You  must  have  good  ears.  What  is  your 
name;  and  will  you  take  service  with  me?  " 

"My  name  is  Hearing  Ear.  I  will  go  with 
you  for  good  wages. " 

"You  will  have  five  gold-pieces." 

"I  am  your  man,"  said  Hearing  Ear. 


Dyeermud  Ulta  and  the  King,        187 

They  went  next  to  Laihy,  where  they  found 
a  man  named  Fis  Wacfis  (Wise  man,  Son  of 
Knowledge),  and  he  sitting  at  the  roadside  chew- 
ing his  thumb. 

"What  are  you  doing  there?"  asked  the  red 
man. 

"I  am  learning  whatever  I  wish  to  know  by 
chewing  my  thumb." 

"Take  service  with  me,  and  come  on  the  ship." 

He  went  on  the  same  terms  as  the  others,  and 
they  never  stopped  nor  halted  till  they  came  to 
the  castle  of  the  king.  They  were  outside  the 
walls  three  days  and  three  nights  before  any  man 
spoke  a  word  to  them.  At  last  the  king  sent  a 
messenger  to  ask  who  were  they  and  what 
brought  them. 

"  I  have  come  in  a  ship  for  your  daughter,  and 
my  name  is  Dyeermud  Ulta,"  was  the  answer  the 
king  got. 

The  king  was  frightened  at  the  answer,  though 
he  knew  himself  well  enough  that  it  was  for  the 
daughter  Dyeermud  had  come  in  the  ship,  and 
was  greatly  in  dread  that  she  would  be  taken 
from  him.  He  went  then  to  an  old  henwife  that 
lived  near  the  castle  to  know  could  he  save  the 
daughter,  and  how  could  he  save  her. 

"If  you'll  be  said  by  me,"  said  the  henwife, 
"you  '11   bid   them   all   come  to   a  feast   in  the 


1 88  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

castle.  Before  they  come,  let  your  men  put 
sharp  poisoned  spikes  under  the  cushions  of  the 
seats  set  apart  for  the  company.  They  will  sit 
on  the  spikes,  swell  up  to  the  size  of  a  horse,  and 
die  before  the  day  is  out,  every  man  of  them." 

Hearing  Ear  was  listening,  heard  all  the 
talk  between  the  king  and  the  henwife,  and 
told   it. 

"Now,"  said  Fis  Wacfis  to  Dyeermud,  "the 
king  will  invite  us  all  to  a  feast  to-morrow,  and 
you  will  go  there  and  take  us.  It  is  better  to 
send  Ironback  to  try  our  seats,  and  sit  on  them, 
for  under  the  cushion  of  each  one  will  be  poisoned 
spikes  to  kill  us." 

That  day  the  king  sent  a  message  to  Dyeer- 
mud. "Will  you  come,"  said  he,  "with  your 
men,  to  a  feast  in  my  castle  to-morrow.?  I  am 
glad  to  have  such  guests,  and  you  are  welcome." 

"Very  thankful  am  I,"  said  Dyeermud.  We 
will  come  to  the  feast." 

Before  the  company  came,  Ironback  went  into 
the  hall  of  feasting,  looked  at  everything,  sat 
down  on  each  place,  and  made  splinters  of  the 
seats. 

"Those  seats  are  of  no  use,"  said  Ironback; 
"they  are  no  better  than  so  many  cabbage 
stalks." 

The   king  had    iron  seats  brought  in,  strong 


Dyeermud  Ulta  and  the  King.         189 

ones.  There  was  no  harm  to  Dyeermud  and  his 
company  from  that  feast. 

Away  went  the  king  to  the  henwife,  and  told 
how  the  seats  had  been  broken.  "  What  am  I  to 
do  now  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  Say  that  to  get  your  daughter  they  must  eat 
what  food  is  in  your  castle  at  one  meal." 

Next  day  Dyeermud  went  to  the  castle,  and 
asked,  "  Am  I  to  have  your  daughter  now }  " 

"You  are  not,"  said  the  king,  "unless  your 
company  will  eat  what  food  is  in  my  castle  at 
one  meal." 

"Very  well,"  said  Dyeermud;  "have  the  meal 
ready. " 

The  king  gave  command  to  bring  out  the  hun- 
dred and  fifty  tons  of  provisions  in  the  castle  all 
prepared  and  ready  for  eating. 

Dyeermud  came  with  his  men,  and  Sod-eater 
began ;  and  it  was  as  much  as  all  the  king's  ser- 
vants could  do  to  bring  food  as  fast  as  he  ate  it, 
and  he  never  stopped  till  there  was  n't  a  pound 
of  the  hundred  and  fifty  tons  left. 

"  Is  this  all  you  have  to  give  me } "  asked  Sod- 
eater.     "I  could  eat  three  times  as  much." 

"Oh,  we  have  no  more,"  said  the  servants. 

"Where  is  our  dinner.?  "  asked  Dyeermud. 

The  king  had  nothing  for  the  others,  and  he 
had  nothing  for  himself.     All   had  to  go  away 


190  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

hungry,  and  there  was  great  dissatisfaction  in 
the  castle,  and  complaining. 

The  king  had  nothing  to  do  now  but  to  go 
to  the  henwife  a  third  time  for  advice  in  his 
trouble. 

"You  have,"  said  she,  "three  hundred  and  fifty 
pipes  of  wine.  If  his  company  cannot  drink 
every  drop  of  the  wine,  don't  give  him  the 
daughter. " 

Next  day  Dyeermud  went  to  the  castle.  "  Am 
I  to  have  the  daughter  now.?"  asked  he  of  the 
king. 

"I  will  not  give  my  daughter,"  said  the  king, 
"unless  you  and  your  company  will  drink  the 
three  hundred  and  fifty  pipes  of  wine  that  are  in 
my  castle." 

"Bring  out  the  wine,"  said  Dyeermud;  "we'll 
come  to-morrow,  and  do  the  best  we  can  to  drink 
it." 

Dyeermud  and  his  men  went  next  day  to  where 
the  wine  was.  Gulping-a-River  was  the  man  for 
drinking,  and  they  let  him  at  it.  After  he  got 
a  taste,  he  was  that  anxious  that  he  broke  in 
the  head  of  one  pipe  after  another,  and  drank 
till  there  wasn't  a  drop  left  in  the  three  hundred 
and  fifty  pipes.  All  the  wine  did  was  to  put 
thirst  on  Gulping-a-River;  and  he  was  that  mad 
with  thirst  that  he  drank  up  the  spring  well  at  the 


Dyeermud  Ulta  and  the  King,        1 9 1 

castle,  and  all  the  springs  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  a  loch  three  miles  distant,  so  that  in  the 
evening  there  was  n't  a  drop  of  water  for  man 
or  beast  in  the  whole  place. 

What  did  the  king  do  but  go  to  the  henwife 
the  fourth  time. 

**0h,"  said  she,  "there  is  no  use  in  trying  to 
get  rid  of  him  this  way;  you  can  make  no  hand 
of  Dyeermud  by  eating  or  drinking.  Do  you 
send  him  now  to  the  Eastern  World  to  get  the 
bottle  of  cure  from  the  three  sons  of  Sean  [pro- 
nounced Shawn,  —  John]  Mac  Glinn,  and  to  have 
it  at  the  castle  before  noon  to-morrow." 

"  Am  I  to  get  the  daughter  now } "  asked 
Dyeermud  of  the  king. 

"You  '11  not  get  my  daughter,"  said  the  king, 
"unless  you  have  for  me  here  to-morrow  the 
bottle  of  cure  which  the  three  sons  of  Sean  Mac 
Glinn  have  in  the  Eastern  World." 

Dyeermud  went  to  his  ship  with  the  king's 
answer. 

"Let  me  go,"  said  Foot-on-Shoulder.  "I  will 
bring  you  the  bottle  in  season." 

"You  may  go,"  said  Dyeermud. 

Away  went  Foot-on-Shoulder,  and  was  at  the 
sea  in  a  minute.  He  made  a  ship  of  his  cap,  a 
mast  of  his  stick,  a  sail  of  his  shirt,  and  away 
with  him  sailing  over  the  sea,  never  stopping  nor 
halting  till  he  reached  the  Eastern  World. 


192  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

In  five  hours,  he  came  to  a  castle  where  the 
walls  of  defence  were  sixty-six  feet  high  and 
fifty-five  feet  thick.  Sean  Mac  Glinn's  three 
sons  were  playing  football  on  the  top  of  the 
wall. 

"Send  down  the  bottle  of  cure  to  me,"  said 
Foot-on-Shoulder,  "or  I  '11  have  your  lives." 

"We  will  not  give  you  the  bottle  of  cure;  and 
if  you  come  up,  it  will  be  as  hard  to  find  your 
brains  five  minutes  after  as  to  find  the  clay  of  a 
cabin  broken  down  a  hundred  years  ago. " 

Foot-on-Shoulder  made  one  spring,  and  rose  six 
feet  above  the  wall.  They  were  so  frightened  at 
the  sight  of  what  he  did,  and  were  so  in  dread 
of  him  that  they  cried,  "You'll  get  what  you 
want,  only  spare  us,  —  leave  us  our  lives.  You 
are  the  best  man  that  we  have  ever  seen  coming 
from  any  part ;  you  have  done  what  no  man  could 
ever  do  before  this.  You  '11  get  the  bottle  of 
cure;  but  will  you  send  it  back  again .'*" 

"I  will  not  promise  that,"  said  Foot-on- 
Shoulder;  "I  may  send  it,  and  I  may  not." 

They  gave  him  the  bottle,  he  went  his  way  to 
his  ship,  and  sailed  home  to  Erin.  Next  morn- 
ing the  henwife  dressed  herself  up  as  a  piper, 
and,  taking  a  rod  of  enchantment  with  her,  went 
away,  piping  on  a  hill  which  Foot-on-Shoulder 
had    to   cross    in    coming    to    the   castle.      She 


WITH     ONE      BLAST     FROM      BOTH     NOSTRILS,     HE     SENT     THE 
OLD    HAG    UP    INTO    THE    SKY.       Page  193. 


e>.   »     *  v>  '  t-o    jj 
en      a    o  «»  ».  j- 


t'    -i*  a'<^ 


Dyeermud  Ulta  and  the  King,        193 

thought  he  would  stop  to  listen  to  the  music  she 
was  making,  and  then  she  would  strike  him  with 
the  rod,  and  make  a  stone  of  him.  She  was 
piping  away  for  herself  on  the  hill  like  any  poor 
piper  making  his  living.  Hearing  Ear  heard  the 
music,  and  told  Dyeermud.  Fis  Wacfis  chewed 
his  thumb  at  Dyeermud's  command,  and  found 
out  that  the  piper  was  the  king's  henwife,  and 
discovered  her  plans. 

"Oh,"  said  Fis  Wacfis  to  Dyeermud,  "unless 
you  take  her  out  of  that,  she  will  make  trouble 
for  us. " 

"  Greedy  of-Blowing,  can  you  make  away  with 
that  old  woman  on  the  hill } "  asked  Dyeermud. 

"I  can  indeed,"  said  Greedy-of -Blowing. 

With  that,  he  ran  to  the  foot  of  the  hill ;  and 
with  one  blast  from  both  nostrils,  he  sent  the 
old  hag  up  into  the  sky,  and  away  she  went  sail 
ing  so  that    neither   tale   nor  word   of  her  ever 
came  back. 

Foot-on- Shoulder  was  at  the  ship  outside  the 
castle  walls  half  an  hour  before  noon,  and  gave 
the  bottle  of  cure  to  Dyeermud.  Dyeermud 
went  that  minute  to  the  castle,  and  stood  before 
the  king. 

"  Here  is  the  bottle  of  cure  which  I  got  from 
the  three  sons  of  Sean  Mac  Glinn  in  the  Eastern 
World.     Am  I  to  get  the  daughter  now  ? " 

13 


194  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"I'll  send  you  my  answer  to  the  ship,"  said 
the  king. 

Where  should  the  king  go  now  in  his  trouble 
but  to  find  the  henwife.  She  was  not  at  home. 
He  sent  men  to  look  for  the  old  woman;  no  tid- 
ings of  her  that  day.  They  waited  till  the  next 
day;  not  a  sight  of  her.  The  following  morning 
the  king  sent  servants  and  messengers  to  look 
for  the  henwife.  They  searched  the  whole  neigh- 
borhood ;  could  not  find  her.  He  sent  all  his  war- 
riors and  forces.  They  looked  up  and  down, 
searched  the  whole  kingdom,  searched  for  nine 
days  and  nights,  but  found  no  trace  of  the 
henwife. 

The  king  consented  at  last  to  give  the  daughter 
to  Dyeermud,  and  he  had  to  consent,  and  no 
thanks  to  him,  for  he  couldn't  help  himself. 
The  daughter  was  glad  and  willing;  she  loved 
Dyeermud  from  the  first,  but  the  father  would 
not  part  with  her. 

The  wedding  lasted  a  day  and  a  year,  and  when 
that  time  was  over,  Dyeermud  went  home  on  the 
ship  to  Kilcar,  and  there  he  paid  all  his  men 
their  wages,  and  they  went  each  to  his  own 
place. 

The  red  man  stayed  sometime  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  what  should  he  do  one  day  but  seize 
Dyeermud's  wife,  put  her  in  the  ship,  and  sail 


Dyeermud  Ulta  and  the  King.        1 95 

away  with  her.  When  going,  she  put  him  under 
injunction  not  to  marry  her  for  a  day  and  a  year. 

Now  Dyeermud,  who  was  hunting  when  the 
red  man  stole  his  wife,  was  in  great  grief  and 
misery,  for  he  knew  not  where  the  red  man  lived 
nor  where  he  should  travel  to  find  him.  At  last 
he  sent  a  message  of  inquiry  to  the  King  of 
Spain;  and  the  king's  answer  was,  "Only  two 
persons  in  the  whole  world  know  where  that  man 
lives.  Great  Limper,  King  of  Light,  and  Black 
Thorn  of  Darkness.  I  have  written  to  these  two, 
and  told  them  to  go  to  you." 

The  two  men  came  in  their  own  ship  through 
the  air  to  Kilcar,  to  Dyeermud,  and  talked  and 
took  counsel. 

"I  do  not  know  where  the  red  man  can  be," 
said  Black  Thorn,  ** unless  in  Kilchroti;  let  us 
go  to  that  place," 

They  sailed  away  in  their  ship,  and  it  went 
straight  to  the  place  they  wanted.  They  had 
more  power  than  the  red  man,  and  could  send 
their  ship  anywhere. 

In  five  days  and  nights  they  were  at  Kilchroti. 
They  went  straight  to  the  house,  and  no  one  in 
the  world  could  see  the  red  man's  house  there 
but  these  two.  Black  Thorn  struck  the  door, 
and  it  flew  open.  The  red  man,  who  was  inside, 
took  their  hands,  welcomed  them   heartily,   and 


196  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

said,  "I  hope  it  is  not  to  do  me  harm  that  ye 
are  here." 

"  It  is  not  to  harm  you  or  any  one  that  we  are 
here,"  replied  they.  "We  are  here  only  to  get 
what  is  right  and  just,  but  without  that,  we  will 
not  go  from  this." 

"What  is  the  right  and  just  that  ye  are  here 
for.^  "  asked  the  red  man. 

"Dyeermud's  wife,"  replied  Black  Thorn,  "and 
it  was  wrong  in  you  to  take  her;  you  must  give 
her  up." 

"I  will  fight  rather  than  give  her,"  said  the  red 
man. 

"Fighting  will  not  serve  you,"  said  Black 
Thorn,  " it  is  better  for  you  to  give  her  to  us." 

"Ye  will  not  get  her  without  seven  tons  of 
gold,"  said  the  red  man.  "If  ye  bring  me  the 
gold,  I  will  give  her  to  you.  If  ye  come  without 
it,  ye '11  get  fight  from  me." 

"We  will  give  you  the  gold,"  said  Great 
Limper,  "within  seven  days." 

"Agreed,"  said  the  red  man. 

"Come  to  the  ship,"  said  Great  Limper  to 
Black  Thorn. 

They  went  on  board,  and  sailed  away. 

"  I  was  once  on  a  ship  which  was  wrecked  on 
the  coast  of  Spain  with  forty-five  tons  of  gold. 
I  know  where  that  gold  is;  we  will  get  it,"  said 
Great  Limper. 


Dyeermud  Ulta  and  the  King,        197 

The  two  sailed  to  where  the  gold  was,  took 
seven  tons  of  it,  and  on  the  sixth  day  they  had 
it  in  Kilchroti,  in  front  of  the  red  man's  house. 
They  weighed  out  the  gold  to  him.  They  went 
then  to  find  Dyeermud's  wife.  She  was  behind 
nine  doors;  each  door  was  nine  planks  in  thick- 
ness, and  bolted  with  nine  bars  of  iron.  The 
red  man  opened  the  doors;  all  went  in,  and 
looked  at  the  chamber.  The  woman  went  out 
first,  next  the  red  man ;  and,  seizing  the  door,  he 
thought  to  close  it  on  Great  Limper  and  Black 
Thorn,  but  Black  Thorn  was  too  quick  for  him, 
and  before  the  red  man  could  close  the  door  he  shot 
him,  first  with  a  gold  and  then  with  a  silver  bullet. 

The  red  man  fell  dead  on  the  threshold. 

"I  knew  he  was  preparing  some  treachery," 
said  Black  Thorn.  "  When  we  weighed  the  gold 
to  him,  he  let  such  a  loud  laugh  of  delight  out  of 
him." 

They  took  the  woman  and  the  gold  to  Dyeer- 
mud; they  stayed  nine  days  and  nights  with  him 
in  Kilcar,  eating,  drinking,  and  making  merry. 
They  drank  to  the  King  of  Spain,  to  all  Erin, 
to  themselves,  and  to  their  well-wishers.  You 
see,  I  had  great  work  to  keep  up  with  them 
these  nine  days  and  nights.  I  hope  they  will 
do  well  hereafter. 


CUD,    CAD,   AND   MICAD,   THREE   SONS 
OF  THE   KING   OF   URHU. 

'T^HERE  was  a  king  once  in  Urhu,  and  he 
•^  had  three  sons.  The  eldest  was  three,  the 
second  two,  the  youngest  one  year  old.  Their 
names  were  Cud,  Cad,  and  Micad.  The  three 
brothers  were  playing  one  day  near  the  castle, 
which  was  hard  by  the  seashore ;  and  Cud  ran  in 
to  his  father,  and  said,  "  I  hope  you  will  give  me 
what  I  ask." 

"Anything  you  ask  that  I  can  give  you  will 
get,"  said  the  father. 

"  'T  is  all  I  ask,"  said  Cud,  "that  you  will  give 
me  and  my  brothers  one  of  your  ships  to  sail  in 
till  evening." 

"  I  will  give  you  that  and  welcome,  but  I  think 
you  and  they  are  too  weak  to  go  on  a  ship." 

"  Let  us  be  as  we  are;  we  '11  never  go  younger," 
said  Cud. 

The  king  gave  the  ship.  Cud  hurried  out,  and, 
catching  Cad  and  Micad,  one  under  each  of  his 
arms,  went  with  one  spring  to  the  best  ship  in 
the  roadstead.     They  raised  the  sails  then,  and 


Cud,  Cad,  and  Micad,  199 

the  three  brothers  did  as  good  work  as  the  best 
and  largest  crew.  They  left  the  harbor  with  the 
fairest  wind  a  ship  ever  had.  The  wind  blew  in 
a  way  that  not  a  cable  was  left  without  stretch- 
ing, an  oar  without  breaking,  nor  a  helm  without 
cracking  with  all  the  speed  the  ship  had.  The 
water  rose  in  three  terrible  ridges,  so  that  the 
rough  gravel  of  the  bottom  was  brought  to  the  top, 
and  the  froth  of  the  top  was  driven  down  to  the 
bottom  of  the  sea.  The  sight  of  the  kingdom 
of  the  world  soon  sank  from  the  eyes  of  the 
brothers;  and  when  they  saw  nothing  but  blue 
sea  around  them,  a  calm  fell  on  the  water. 

Cud  was  going  back  and  forth  on  the  deck, 
sorry  for  what  was  done ;  and  a  good  right  he  had 
to  be  sorry,  but  he  was  not  sorry  long.  He  saw 
a  small  currachan  (boat)  a  mile  away,  and  went 
with  one  spring  from  his  ship  to  the  currachan. 
The  finest  woman  in  the  world  was  sleeping  in 
the  bottom  of  the  boat.  He  put  a  finger  under 
her  girdle,  and  went  back  with  a  spring  to  the 
ship.     When  he  touched  his  own  deck,  she  woke. 

"  I  put  you  under  bonds  and  the  misfortune  of 
the  world,"  cried  she,  **  to  leave  me  where  you 
saw  me  first,  and  to  be  going  ever  and  always  till 
you  find  me  again." 

"What  name  am  I  to  call  you  when  I  go  in 
search  of  you  t  " 


200  HerO'Tales  of  Ireland. 

"The  Cat  of  Fermalye,  or  the  Swan  of  Endless 
Tales,"  said  the  woman. 

He  took  her  with  one  spring  to  the  little  boat, 
and  with  another  spring  went  back  to  his  own 
ship.  Whatever  good  wind  they  had  coming, 
they  had  it  twice  better  going  home.  In  the 
evening  the  ship  was  anchored  among  the  others 
again.  The  brothers  went  ashore  in  a  boat. 
When  Cud  came  in,  his  father  put  out  a  chair 
for  him,  and  gave  him  great  welcome.  Cud  sat 
down;  but  as  he  did,  he  broke  three  rungs  in  the 
chair,  two  ribs  in  himself,  and  a  rafter  in  the 
roof  of  the  castle. 

"You  were  put  under  bonds  to-day,"  said  the 
father. 

"I  was,"  said  Cud. 

"What  bonds.?" 

"To  be  going  ever  and  always  till  I  find 
the  Cat  of  Fermalye,  or  the  Swan  of  Endless 
Tales." 

Himself  and  his  father  spent  that  night 
together,  and  they  were  very  sad  and  down- 
hearted. As  early  as  the  dawn  came,  Cud  rose 
and  ate  his  breakfast. 

"  Stay  with  me;  I  '11  give  you  half  my  kingdom 
now,  and  all  when  I  die,"  said  the  father. 

"  I  cannot  stay  under  bonds;  I  must  go,"  replied 
Cud. 


Cud^  Cad,  and  Micad,  201 

Cud  took  the  ship  he  liked  best,  and  put  sup- 
plies for  a  day  and  seven  years  in  her. 

"Now,"  said  the  father,  "ask  for  something 
else;  anything  in  the  world  I  can  give,  I  will 
give  you." 

"I  want  nothing  but  my  two  brothers  to  go 
with  me." 

"  I  care  not  where  they  go  if  yourself  leaves 
me,"  said  the  king. 

The  three  brothers  went  aboard  the  ship;  and 
if  the  wind  was  good  the  first  day,  it  was  better 
this  time.  They  never  stopped  nor  rested  till 
they  sailed  to  Fermalye.  The  three  went  on 
shore,  and  were  walking  the  kingdom.  They 
had  walked  only  a  short  piece  of  it  when  they 
saw  a  grand  castle.  They  went  to  the  gate;  Cud 
was  just  opening  it  when  a  cat  came  out.  The 
cat  looked  at  Cud,  bowed  to  him,  and  went  her 
way.  They  saw  neither  beast  nor  man  in  the 
castle,  or  near  it;  only  a  woman  at  the  highest 
window,  and  she  sewing. 

"We'll  not  stop  till  we  go  as  far  as  the 
woman,"  said  Cud. 

The  woman  welcomed  them  when  they  came 
to  her,  put  out  a  gold  chair  to  Cud  and  a  wooden 
chair  to  each  of  his  brothers. 

**'Tis  strange,"  said  Micad,  "to  show  so  much 
greater  respect  to  one  than  the  other  two." 

"No    cause    for   wonder    in    that,"   said    the 


202  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

woman.  "I  show  respect  to  this  one,  for  he  is 
my  brother-in-law." 

"We  do  not  wonder  now,  but  where  is  his 
wife.?" 

"  She  went  out  a  cat  when  ye  came  in." 

"  Oh,  was  that  she  t "   cried  Cud. 

They  spent  the  night  with  good  cheer  and 
plenty  of  food,  the  taste  of  honey  in  every  bit 
they  ate,  and  no  bit  dry.  As  early  as  the  day 
dawned,  the  three  rose,  and  the  sister-in-law  had 
their  breakfast  before  them. 

"Grief  and  sorrow,  I  'm  in  dread  't  is  bad  cook- 
ing ye  have  on  the  ship.  Take  me  with  you; 
you'll  have  better  food." 

"Welcome,"  said  Cud.     "Come  with  us." 

Each  of  the  others  welcomed  her  more  than 
Cud.  The  four  went  on  board;  the  brothers 
raised  sails,  and  were  five  days  going  when  they 
saw  a  ship  shining  like  gold  and  coming  from 
Western  waters. 

"That  ship  has  no  good  appearance,"  said  Cud. 
"We  must  keep  out  of  danger;"  and  he  took 
another  course.  Whatever  course  he  took,  the 
other  ship  was  before  him  always,  and  crossing 
him. 

"  Is  n't  it  narrow  the  ocean  is,  that  you  must  be 
crossing  me  always.?  "  shouted  Cud. 

"Do  not  wonder,"  cried  a  man  from  the  other 
ship;  "we  heard  that  the  three  sons  of  the  King 


Cud,  Cad,  and  Micad.  203 

of  Urhu  were  sailing  on  the  sea,  and  if  we  find 
them,  it  's  not  long  they  '11  be  before  us." 

The  three  strangers  were  the  three  sons  of  the 
King  of  Hadone. 

"If  it  is  for  these  you  are  looking,"  said  Cud, 
"you  need  go  no  farther." 

"It  is  to  find  you  that  we  are  here,"  said  the 
man  on  the  shining  ship,  "to  take  you  on  a  visit 
to  our  own  kingdom  for  a  day  and  seven  years. 
After  that,  we  will  go  for  the  same  length  of  time 
to  your  kingdom." 

"You  will  get  that  and  welcome,"  said 
Cud. 

"Come  on  board  my  ship,"  said  the  eldest  son 
of  the  King  of  Hadone:  "we'll  make  one  com- 
pany; your  ship  is  not  much  to  look  at." 

"Of  the  food  that  our  father  gave  us,"  said 
Cud,  "there  is  no  bit  dry,  and  we  have  plenty  on 
board.  If  it  is  dry  food  that  you  have  in  that  big 
ship,  leave  it  and  come  to  us." 

The  sons  of  the  King  of  Hadone  went  to  the 
small  ship,  and  let  the  big  one  go  with  the  wind. 
When  Cud  saw  that  they  let  their  own  ship  go, 
he  made  great  friends  of  them. 

"  Have  you  been  on  sea  ever  before } "  asked 
he  of  the  eldest  of  the  strangers. 

"  I  am  on  sea  since  I  was  of  an  age  to  walk  by 
myself,"  replied  he. 

"This  is  my  first  voyage,"  said  Cud.      "Now 


204  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

as  we  are  brothers  and  friends,  and  as  you  are 
taking  us  to  visit  your  kingdom,  I  '11  give  you 
command  of  my  ship." 

The  king's  son  took  this  from  Cud  willingly, 
and  steered  home  in  a  straight  course. 

When  the  sons  of  the  King  of  Hadone  were 
leaving  home,  they  commanded  all  in  the  king- 
dom, big  and  little,  small  and  great,  weak  and 
strong,  to  be  at  the  port  before  them  when  they 
came  back  with  the  sons  of  the  King  of  Urhu. 
"These,"  said  they,  "must  never  be  let  out  alive 
on  the  shore." 

In  the  first  harbor  the  ship  entered,  the  shore 
was  black  and  white  with  people. 

"Why  are  all  those  people  assembled  .!*  "  asked 
Cud. 

"  I  have  no  knowledge  of  that,"  said  the  king's 
son;  "but  if  you  '11  let  your  two  brothers  go  with 
me  and  my  brothers,  we  '11  find  out  the  reason." 

They  anchored  the  ship,  put  down  a  long-boat, 
and  Cad  and  Micad  went  into  it  with  the  three 
sons  of  the  King  of  Hadone.  Cud  and  his  sister- 
in-law  stayed  behind  on  the  ship.  Cud  never 
took  his  eyes  off  his  brothers  as  they  sat  in  the 
boat.  He  watched  them  when  near  the  shore, 
and  saw  them  both  killed.  With  one  bound  he 
sprang  from  the  bowsprit  to  land,  and  went 
through  all  there  as  a  hawk  through  small  birds. 
Two  hours  had  not  passed  when  the  head  was  off 


Cud^  Cad,  and  Micad.  205 

every  man  in  the  kingdom.  Whatever  trouble 
he  had  in  taking  the  heads,  he  had  twice  as 
much  in  finding  his  brothers.  When  he  had  the 
brothers  found,  it  failed  him  to  know  how  to  bury 
them.  At  last  he  saw  on  the  beach  an  old  ship 
with  three  masts.  He  pulled  out  the  masts,  drew 
the  ship  further  on  land,  and  said  to  himself,  "  I 
will  have  my  brothers  under  this  ship  turned 
bottom  upward,  and  come  back  to  take  them 
whenever  I  can." 

He  put  the  bodies  on  the  ground,  turned  the 
ship  over  them,  and  went  his  way. 

The  woman  saw  all  the  slaughter.  "Never 
am  I  to  see  Cud  alive,"  thought  she,  and  fell 
dead  from  sorrow. 

Cud  took  the  woman  to  shore,  and  put  her 
under  the  ship  with  his  brothers.  He  went  to 
his  ship  then,  sailed  away  alone,  and  never 
stopped  till  he  came  to  the  kingdom  where  lived 
Mucan  Mor  Mac  Ri  na  Sorach.  Cud  went 
ashore,  and  while  walking  and  looking  for  him- 
self, he  came  to  a  castle.  He  was  wondering  at 
the  pole  of  combat,  such  a  terribly  big  one,  and 
he  gave  a  small  blow  to  it.  The  messenger 
came  out,  and  looked  up  and  down  to  know  could 
he  find  the  man  who  gave  the  blow.  Not  a 
soul  could  he  see  but  a  white-haired  young  child 
standing  near  the  pole.  He  went  into  the  castle 
again. 


2o6  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"Who  struck  the  pole?  "  asked  Mucan  Mor. 

"I  saw  no  one  but  a  small  child  with  white 
hair;  there  is  no  danger  from  him." 

Cud  gave  a  harder  blow. 

"That  blow  is  harder,"  said  Mucan  Mor,  "than 
any  child  can  give.     Go  and  see  who  is  in  it." 

The  man  searched  high  and  low,  and  it  failed 
him  to  find  any  one  but  the  child. 

"  It  would  be  a  wonder  if  you  are  the  one,  you 
little  child,  that  struck  the  blow." 

"What  harm,"  said  the  little  child,  "if  I  gave 
the  pole  a  touch.?  " 

"Mucan  Mor  is  going  to  dinner  soon,"  said 
the  messenger;  "and  if  you  vex  him  again,  'tis 
yourself  that  he  '11  eat  in  place  of  the  dinner." 

"Is  dinner  ready.'*  "  asked  Cud. 

"It  is  going  to  be  left  down,"  was  the  answer 
he  got. 

When  the  man  went  in.  Cud  gave  the  pole  a 
hard  blow,  and  did  n't  leave  calf,  foal,  lamb,  kid, 
or  child  awaiting  its  birth,  or  a  bag  of  poor  oats 
or  rye,  that  didn't  turn  five  times  to  the  left, 
and  five  to  the  right  with  the  fright  that  it  got. 
He  made  such  a  noise  and  crash  that  dishes  were 
broken,  knives  hurled  around,  and  the  castle 
shaken  to  its  bottom  stone.  Mucan  Mor  himself 
was  turned  five  times  to  the  left  and  five  to  the 
right  before  he  could  put  the  soles  of  his  feet 


Cud,  Cad,  and  Micad.  207 

under  him.  When  he  went  out,  and  saw  the 
small  child,  he  asked,  "Was  it  you  that  struck 
the  pole?  " 

"I  gave  it  a  little  tip,"  said  Cud. 

"You  are  a  child  of  no  sense  to  be  lying  so, 
and  it  is  yourself  that  I  '11  eat  for  my  supper." 

He  thought  he  had  only  to  take  Cud  into  the 
castle,  and  roast  him  on  the  spit.  He  went  to 
catch  the  child;  but  if  he  did,  the  child  faced 
him,  and  soon  they  were  fighting  like  two  bulls 
in  high  grass.  When  it  was  very  late  in  the  day, 
Mucan  Mor  rose  up  in  a  lump  of  fog,  and  Cud 
didn't  know  where  he  had  gone. 

All  Cud  had  to  do  was  to  go  to  the  forest,  and 
gather  twigs  for  a  fire  to  keep  himself  warm 
until  morning.  It  wasn't  many  twigs  he  had 
gathered  when  twelve  swans  came  near  him. 

"Love  me!"  said  he.  "I  believe  ye  are  the 
blessed  birds  that  came  from  my  father's  king- 
dom to  be  food  to  relieve  me  in  need." 

"  Sorry  am  I  that  I  have  ever  looked  on  you 
or  you  on  me,"  said  one  of  the  swans;  and  the 
twelve  rose  and  flew  away. 

Cud  gathered  the  twigs  for  the  fire,  and  dried 
the  blood  in  his  wounds.  In  the  morning,  Mucan 
Mor  struck  his  own  pole  of  combat.  He  and 
Cud  faced  each  other,  and  fought  till  late  in  the 
day,  when  Mucan  Mor  rose  as  a  lump  of  fog  in 


2o8  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

the  air.  Cud  went  to  the  forest  as  before  to 
gather  twigs.  It  was  few  he  had  gathered  when 
the  twelve  swans  came  again. 

"  Are  ye  the  blessed  birds  from  my  own  king- 
dom ? "  asked  he. 

"No,"  said  one  of  the  swans;  "but  I  put  you 
under  bonds  not  to  turn  me  away  as  you  did  last 
night." 

"As  you  put  me  under  bonds,"  said  Cud,  "I 
will  not  turn  you  away. " 

The  twelve  began  to  gather  twigs,  and  it  was  n't 
long  till  they  had  a  great  fire  made.  One  of  the 
twelve  sat  at  the  fire  then  with  Cud,  and  said, 
"There  is  nothing  in  the  world  to  kill  Mucan 
Mor  but  a  certain  apple.  For  the  last  three  days 
I  have  been  looking  for  that  apple.  I  found  it 
to-day,  and  have  it  here  for  you.  To-morrow 
you  '11  be  getting  the  upper  hand  of  Mucan  Mor 
earlier  than  other  days.  He  has  no  power  to 
rise  as  a  fog  until  a  given  hour.  When  the  time 
comes,  he  '11  raise  his  two  hands  and  be  striving 
to  go  in  the  air.  If  you  strike  him  then  in  the 
right  side  in  the  ribs  with  the  apple,  you  '11  make 
a  green  stone  of  him.  If  you  do  not,  he  '11  come 
down  and  make  a  green  stone  of  you." 

Cud  took  the  apple,  and  had  great  thanks  for 
the  swan.  She  left  down  the  best  food  then 
before  him.     She  had  the  food  with  her  always. 


Cud,  Cad,  and  Micad,  209 

Glad  was  he,  for  he  was  greatly  in  want  of  it  after 
the  fast  of  two  days.  She  put  her  own  wing  and 
head  over  his  head  and  sheltered  him  till  day- 
break. There  wasn't  a  wound  on  him  next 
morning  that  wasn't  cured.  As  early  as  the  day 
dawned  she  roused  him. 

"Be  up  now,"  said  she,  "and  have  the  soles  of 
your  feet  under  you. " 

He  went  first  to  the  pole  and  struck  a  blow 
that  took  three  turns  out  of  the  stomach  of  Mucan 
Mor  and  three  more  out  of  his  brain,  before  he 
could  stand  on  the  soles  of  his  feet,  so  great  was 
the  dread  that  came  on  him. 

They  fought  the  third  day,  and  it  wasn't  very 
late  when  Cud  was  getting  the  upper  hand. 
Mucan  Mor  raised  his  two  arms  toward  the  sky, 
striving  to  escape  in  a  fog  from  his  enemy.  Cud 
struck  him  then  with  the  apple,  and  made  a  green 
stone  of  him.  Hardly  had  he  Mucan  Mor  killed 
when  he  saw  an  old  hag  racing  up;  she  took  one 
hill  at  a  step  and  two  at  a  leap. 

"Your  face  and  your  health  to  you,"  said  the 
hag,  when  she  stood  before  Cud.  "  I  am  looking 
at  you  for  three  days,  fighting  without  food  or 
drink.     I  hope  that  you  '11  come  with  me  now." 

"  It 's  long  that  you  were  thinking  of  asking 
me,"  said  he. 

"I  hope  you  'II  not  refuse  me,"  said  the  hag. 
14 


2IO  Hero- Tales  of  Ireland, 

"I  will  not,"  replied  Cud. 

"Give  me  your  hand,"  said  the  hag,  "and  I  '11 
help  you  to  walk." 

He  took  the  hag's  hand.  There  wasn't  a 
jump  that  she  gave  while  she  had  a  grip  of  his 
hand  but  he  thought  she  was  dragging  the  arm 
from  him. 

"Curses  on  you  for  an  old  hag!  Is  it  little  I 
have  gone  through  that  you  treat  me  in  this 
way.?" 

"  I  have  a  cloth  about  my  shoulders.  Go  into 
that,  and  I  will  carry  you,"  said  the  hag. 

There  was  n*t  a  joint  in  the  hag's  back  that 
wasn't  three  inches  long  When  she  had  him 
on  her  back  there  was  n't  a  leap  that  she  gave 
that  the  joints  of  her  backbone  were  not  going 
into  Cud's  body. 

"  Hard  luck  to  you  for  a  hag,  after  all  I  have 
gone  through  to  have  me  killed  at  last." 

"You  have  not  far  to  go  now,"  said  she;  and 
after  a  few  leaps  she  was  at  the  end  of  her  jour- 
ney. She  took  him  into  a  grand  castle.  The 
best  table  of  food  that  he  had  ever  set  eyes  on 
was  left  down  there  before  him. 

"Sit  there,  now,  son  of  the  King  of  Urhu;  eat 
and  drink." 

"I  have  never  taken  food  without  company," 
said  Cud,  "and  I  will  not  take  it  this  time." 


Cud,  Cad,  and  Micad.  2 1 1 

"Will  you  eat  with  me?" 

"Bad  luck  to  you  for  a  hag,  I  will  not." 

She  opened  a  door  and  let  in  twelve  pigs,  and 
one  pig,  the  thirteenth,  without  a  head. 

"Will  you  take  food  with  these,  son  of  the 
King  of  Urhu.?  " 

"Indeed,  then,  old  hag,  bad  as  you  are  your- 
self, I  'd  rather  eat  with  you  than  with  these,  and 
I  '11  not  eat  with  you." 

She  put  them  back,  opened  another  door  and 
let  out  twelve  of  the  rustiest,  foulest,  ugliest  old 
hags  that  man  could  set  eyes  on. 

"Will  you  take  food  with  these  .^  "  asked  she. 

"Indeed,  then,  I  will  not." 

She  hurried  them  back,  opened  a  door,  and 
brought    out    twelve    beautiful    young    women. 

"Will  you  take  food  with  these.?  " 

"These  are  fit  to  take  food  with  any  one,"  said 
Cud. 

They  sat  down  and  ate  with  good-will  and 
pleasure.  When  they  had  the  dinner  eaten  the 
hag  opened  the  door,  and  the  twelve  went  back 
to  their  own  chamber. 

"I'll  get  great  blame,"  said  the  old  hag,  "for 
all  the  delay  I  've  had.     I  '11  be  going  now." 

"What  trouble  is  on  you  that  you  '11  be  blamed 
for  your  delay .? " 

"Those  twelve  pigs  that  you  saw,"  said  the  hag. 


212  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland, 

"are  twelve  sons  of  mine,  and  the  pig  without  a 
head  is  my  husband.  Those  twelve  foul,  yellow 
hags  that  you  saw  are  my  twelve  daughters.  The 
twelve  beautiful  women  who  ate  with  you  are  my 
daughters*  attendants." 

"Why  are  your  twelve  sons  and  your  husband 
pigs,  and  your  twelve  daughters  yellow  old 
hags.?" 

"The  Awus  in  that  house  there  beyond  has 
them  enchanted  and  held  in  subjection.  There 
is  n't  a  night  but  I  must  go  with  a  gold  apple  to 
him." 

"  I  will  go  with  you  tonight,"  said  Cud. 

"There  is  no  use  in  going,"  said  the  hag. 

They  were  talking  a  long  time  before  she 
would  let  him  go.  She  went  first,  and  he  fol- 
lowed. She  knocked,  and  they  opened  the  door. 
Cud  was  in  with  her  that  instant.  One  Awus 
rose  and  put  seven  bolts  and  seven  locks  on  the 
door.  Cud  rose  and  put  on  seven  locks  and 
seven  bolts  more.  All  began  to  laugh  when 
they  saw  Cud  doing  this.  The  old  chief,  who 
was  standing  at  the  hearth,  let  such  a  roar  out  of 
him  that  Cud  saw  the  heart  inside  in  his  body. 

"Why  are  you  laughing.?  "  asked  Cud. 

"We  think  you  a  nice  bit  of  meat  to  roast  on 
the  spit.  Rise  up,"  said  he  to  a  small  attendant, 
"and  tie  that  fellow." 


Cud,  Cad,  and  Micad.  213 

The  attendant  rose  and  tried  to  tie  Cud,  but 
soon  Cud  had  him  down  and  tied. 

"Bad  luck  to  you,  'tis  sorry  I  am  that  I  ever 
lost  food  on  the  like  of  you,"  said  the  old  chief 
to  the  small  attendant.  "Rise  up,"  said  he  to  a 
big  attendant,  "and  tie  him." 

The  big  one  rose  up,  and  whatever  time  the 
small  one  lasted,  the  big  one  didn't  last  half  that 
length.  Cud  drew  strings  from  his  pocket  and 
began  tying  the  Awuses.  He  caught  the  old 
Awus  by  the  shins,  dragged  him  down,  and  put 
his  knee  on  him. 

"You  are  the  best  champion  ever  I  have  seen," 
said  the  old  Awus.  "Give  me  quarter  for  my 
soul;  there  is  never  a  place  where  you  need  it 
but  my  help  will  attend  you  with  bravery.  I'll 
give  you  also  my  sword  of  light  that  shines  in 
the  dark,  my  pot  of  cure  that  makes  the  dead 
alive,  and  the  rod  of  enchantment  to  help  the 
pot  of  cure." 

"Where  can  I  find  them?  "  asked  Cud. 

"  In  a  hole  in  the  floor  under  the  post  of  my 
bed.     You  cannot  get  them  without  help." 

"  It  cannot  be  but  I  can  do  anything  that  has 
been  done  ever  in  your  house,"  said  Cud. 

With  that  he  went  to  the  bed,  and  whatever 
work  he  had  in  his  life  he  never  found  a  harder 
task  than  to  move  the  post  of  the  bed;  but  he 


214  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

found  the  sword  of  light,  the  pot  of  cure,  and 
the  rod  of  enchantment.  He  came  to  the  Awus 
with  the  sword  in  one  hand,  and  the  two  other 
things  in  the  other  hand. 

"The  head  off  you  now  if  you  don't  take  this 
hag  and  her  family  from  under  enchantment. 
Make  men  and  women  of  her  sons  and  daughters, 
a  king  of  her  husband,  and  a  queen  of  herself  in 
this  kingdom,  while  water  is  running,  and  grass 
is  growing,  and  you  are  to  go  to  them  with  a 
gold  apple  every  evening  and  morning  as  long 
as  you  live  or  any  one  lives  who  comes  after  you 
to  the  end  of  all  ages." 

"I  will  do  that,"  said  the  Awus. 

He  gave  the  word,  and  the  hag  was  as  fine  a 
queen  as  she  was  before.  She  and  Cud  went 
back  to  the  castle.  The  twelve  pigs  were  twelve 
young  men,  and  the  thirteenth  without  a  head 
was  the  king.  She  opened  the  chamber  of  the 
twelve  yellow  hags,  and  they  were  as  beautiful 
as  ever.  All  were  very  grateful  to  Cud  for  the 
good  turn  he  had  done  them. 

"I  had  one  son,"  said  the  queen;  "while  he 
was  here  he  gave  the  old  Awus  enough  to  do." 

"Where  is  he  now.?"  inquired  Cud. 

"In  the  Eastern  World,  in  a  field  seven  miles 
in  length,  and  seven  in  width,  and  there  isn't  a 
yard  of  that  field  in  which  a  spike  is  not  standing 


Cud,  Cad,  and  Micad.  215 

taller  than  a  man.  There  is  not  a  spike,  except 
one,  without  a  king's  son  or  a  champion  on  it, 
impaled  through  his  chin." 

"What  name  had  your  son.? " 

"Gold  Boot." 

"  I  promise  to  bring  Gold  Boot  here  to  you,  or 
leave  my  own  head  on  the  spike." 

As  early  as  the  day  rose  Cud  was  ready,  and 
away  he  went  walking,  and  very  little  food  had 
he  with  him.  About  mid-day  he  was  at  the 
enchanted  field,  in  the  Eastern  World.  He  was 
walking  till  he  came  to  Gold  Boot.  When  he 
touched  the  body,  the  foot  gave  him  a  kick  that 
sent  him  seven  acres  and  seven  ridges  away,  and 
put  three  bunches  of  the  blood  of  his  heart  out 
of  him. 

"  I  believe  what  your  mother  said,  that  when 
you  were  living  you  were  strong,  and  the  strength 
you  have  now  to  be  in  you." 

"Don't  think  we  are  dead,"  said  Gold  Boot; 
"we  are  not.  It  is  how  we  are  enchanted  and 
unable  to  rise  out  of  this." 

"What  put  you  in  it.? "  asked  Cud. 

"A  man  will  come  out  by  and  by  with  pipes, 
making  music,  and  he  '11  bring  so  much  sleep  on 
you  that  he  '11  put  you  on  that  empty  spike,  and 
the  field  will  be  full.  If  you  take  my  advice  you 
will  not  wait  for  him." 


2i6  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"  My  grief  and  my  sorrow !  I  will  never  stir  till 
I  see  all  that  is  here,"  replied  Cud. 

It  wasn't  long  he  was  waiting  when  the  piper 
came  out,  and  the  very  first  sound  that  he  heard 
Cud  ran  and  caught  the  pipes;  whatever  music  the 
man  was  making,  Cud  played  seven  times  better. 

When  Cud  took  the  pipes,  the  piper  ran  crying 
into  the  castle  where  the  wizard  was. 

"  What  is  on  you  ?  "  asked  the  wizard. 

"A  man  caught  my  pipes,  and  he  is  a  twice 
better  player  than  what  I  am." 

"Nevermind  that,  take  these  with  you;  these 
are  the  pipes  that  won't  be  long  in  putting  sleep 
on  him." 

When  Cud  heard  the  first  note  of  these  pipes, 
he  struck  the  old  ones  against  a  stone,  and  ran 
and  caught  the  new  pipes.  The  piper  rushed  to 
the  wizard ;  the  old  man  went  out,  threw  himself 
on  his  knees,  and  begged  mercy. 

"Never  give  him  mercy,"  said  Gold  Boot,  "till 
he  burns  the  hill  that  is  standing  out  opposite 
him." 

"  You  have  no  pardon  to  get  till  you  set  that 
hill  there  on  fire,"  answered  Cud. 

"That  is  as  bad  for  me  as  to  lose  my  head," 
said  the  wizard. 

"  That  same  is  not  far  from  you  unless  you  do 
what  I  bid,"  replied  Cud. 


Cud,  Cad,  and  Micad,  217 

Sooner  than  lose  his  head  he  lighted  the  hill. 
When  the  hill  began  to  burn,  all  the  men  except 
Gold  Boot  came  from  under  enchantment  as  sound 
as  ever,  and  rose  off  the  spikes.  Every  one  was 
making  away,  and  no  one  asking  who  let  him 
out.  The  hill  was  on  fire  except  one  spot  in 
the  middle  of  it.  Gold  Boot  was  not  stirring. 
"Why  did  you  not  make  him  set  all  the  hill  on 
fire }  "  asked  he. 

"Why  did  you  not  set  the  whole  hill  on  fire.?  " 
demanded  Cud  of  the  wizard. 

"Is  it  not  all  on  fire.?" 

"Do  you  see  the  centre  is  not  burning  yet.? " 

"To  see  that  bit  on  fire,"  said  the  wizard,  "is 
as  bad  for  me  as  to  lose  the  head  itself." 

"That  same  is  not  far  from  you,"  said  Cud. 

"Sooner  than  lose  the  head  I  will  light  it." 

That  moment  he  lighted  the  hill,  and  Cud  saw 
the  very  woman  he  saw  the  first  day  sleeping  in  the 
little  boat  come  toward  him  from  the  hill.  He  for- 
got that  he  had  seen  Gold  Boot  or  the  enchanted 
hag  and  her  sons.  The  wizard,  seeing  this, 
stopped  the  centre  fire,  and  Gold  Boot  was  left 
on  the  spike.  Cud  and  the  woman  embraced 
till  they  smothered  each  other  with  kisses  and 
drowned  each  other  with  tears.  After  that  they 
neither  stopped  nor  stayed  till  they  reached  his 
little   ship   and   sailed  away   on    it;   they  never 


2i8  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

delayed  till  they  came  to  where  his  two  brothers 
and  sister-in-law  were  under  the  boat.  Cud  took 
out  the  three  bodies,  put  a  drop  of  the  cure  on 
each  one,  and  gave  each  a  blow  of  the  rod.  They 
rose  up  in  good  health  and  sound  vigor.  All 
entered  the  ship  and  sailed  toward  Urhu. 

They  had  only  the  sailing  of  one  day  before 
them,  when  Cud  recollected  his  promise  to  bring 
Gold  Boot  to  his  mother. 

"Take  the  wife  to  Fermalye,"  said  he  to  his 
brothers.  "I  must  go  for  Gold  Boot;  the  king 
will  give  you  food  till  I  come.  If  you  were  to 
go  to  our  own  father  he'd  think  that  it  is  dead 
I  am." 

Cud  drew  out  his  knife,  cut  a  slip  from  a  stick; 
this  he  threw  into  the  sea.  It  became  a  ship, 
and  away  he  sailed  in  that  ship,  and  never 
stopped  till  he  entered  the  harbor  next  the 
enchanted  field.  When  he  came  to  Gold  Boot 
he  gave  him  a  drop  of  cure  and  a  blow  of  the 
rod.  He  rose  from  the  spike,  well  and  strong. 
The  two  embraced  then,  went  to  the  ship,  and 
sailed  away.  They  had  not  gone  far  when  such 
a  calm  came  that  they  cast  anchor  near  shore, 
and  Gold  Boot  began  to  get  dinner.  It  wasn't 
long  he  was  at  it  when  they  saw  food  at  the  foot 
of  a  tree  on  the  shore. 

"Who  would  be  getting  trouble  with  cooking, 


Cud,  Cad,  and  Mtcad.  219 

and  such  food  as  that  on  the  shore?"  said  Gold 
Boot. 

"Don't  mind  that  food,"  replied  Cud. 

"Whatever  I  think  of  I  do,"  said  Gold  Boot. 

He  went  to  shore  with  one  jump,  caught  the 
food,  sprang  back,  and  laid  it  down  for  himself 
and  Cud.  When  this  was  done  there  was  food 
seven  times  better  on  the  land  again. 

"Who  would  taste  of  this,  and  that  table  over 
there .?  "  cried  Gold  Boot. 

"Never  mind  it,"  said  Cud.  "If  the  man  who 
owns  this  table  was  sleeping  when  you  took  it, 
he  is  not  sleeping  now." 

"Whatever  I  think  of  I  must  do,"  replied  Gold 
Boot. 

"If  you  did  that  before,  I  will  do  it  now,"  said 
Cud,  and  he  sprang  to  land.  He  looked  up  in 
the  tree,  and  there  he  saw  a  man  ready  to  take 
the  life  from  him. 

"  Grief  and  sorrow !  "  said  the  man.  '*!  thought 
it  was  Gold  Boot  again.  Take  this  table,  with 
welcome,  but  I  hope  you  '11  invite  me  to  dinner." 

"I  will,  indeed,"  said  Cud;  "and  what  name 
am  I  to  give  you .'' " 

"The  Wet  Mantle  Champion." 

Cud  took  one  end  of  the  table  and  the  champion 
the  other.  Out  they  went  to  the  ship  with  one 
bound.     They  sat  down  then  together  with  Gold 


2  20  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland* 

Boot  at  the  table.  When  dinner  was  over,  the 
wind  rose,  and  they  sailed  on,  never  delaying  till 
they  came  to  the  castle  of  Gold  Boot's  father, 
where  there  was  a  great  welcome  before  them, 
and  thanks  beyond  estimate. 

**I  will  give  you  half  my  kingdom  while  I  live 
and  all  of  it  when  I  die,"  said  the  king,  "and  the 
choice  of  my  twelve  daughters." 

"Many  thanks  to  you,"  replied  Cud;  "the 
promise  of  marriage  is  on  me  already,  but  per- 
haps Wet  Mantle  is  not  married  or  promised." 

"  I  am  not,"  said  Wet  Mantle. 

"You  must  have  my  chance,"  said  Cud. 

Wet  Mantle  took  Cud's  place,  and  the  king 
sent  for  a  big  dish  priest,  and  a  great  wooden 
clerk.  They  came,  and  the  couple  were  married. 
When  the  three  days'  wedding  was  over.  Cud 
went  away  alone.  While  sailing  near  land  he 
saw  a  castle  by  the  sea,  and  as  he  drew  near  he 
wondered  more  and  more.  A  raven  was  going 
in  and  out  at  the  uppermost  window,  and  each 
time  bringing  out  something  white.  Cud  landed, 
walked  up  from  the  strand,  and  went  to  the  top 
of  the  castle.  He  saw  a  woman  there,  and  the 
whole  room  full  of  white  pigeons.  She  was 
throwing  them  one  by  one  from  a  loft  to  the 
raven. 

"  Why  do  you  throw  those  to  the  raven  ?  "  asked 
Cud  of  the  woman. 


Cud,   Cad,  and  Micad.  221 

"The  raven  is  an  enchanted  brother  of  mine, 
who  comes  to  this  castle  once  in  seven  years. 
I  can  see  him  only  while  I  am  throwing  him 
pigeons.  I  get  as  many  pigeons  as  possible,  to 
keep  him  with  me  while  I  can." 

"Keep  him  for  a  while  yet,"  said  Cud. 

He  rushed  to  the  ship,  took  his  rod,  and  ran 
to  the  loft  where  the  woman  was.  "  Entice  him 
in  further,"  said  Cud. 

Cud  struck  the  raven  a  blow,  and  he  rose  up 
as  fine  a  champion  as  ever  was  seen. 

"Your  blow  on  me  was  good,"  said  the  cham- 
pion, "and  'tis  work  you  have  now  before  you. 
Your  two  brothers  are  killed  and  under  seven 
feet  of  earth  in  Fermalye.  Your  wife  and  her 
sister  are  to  their  knees  in  foul  water  and  filth 
in  the  stable,  and  are  getting  two  mouthfuls  of 
water,and  two  of  bread  in  the  day  till  they  die." 

Cud  did  not  wait  to  hear  more  of  the  story. 
Away  he  went,  and  never  stopped  till  he  came 
to  Fermalye.  When  he  was  coming  to  the  castle 
all  the  children  he  met  he  was  throwing  at  each 
other,  he  was  so  vexed.  He  took  the  wife  and 
sister  out  of  the  stable,  then  dug  up  the  brothers 
and  brought  them  to  life  with  the  rod.  The  five 
made  no  delay  after  that,  but  went  to  the  ship 
and  sailed  to  Urhu.  When  near  land  he  raised 
white  flags  on  every  mast. 


222  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"A  ship  is  coming!"  cried  a  messenger,  run- 
ning to  the  king.  "  I  am  thinking  it  is  Cud  that 
is  in  it." 

"That's  what  I  will  never  believe,"  said  the 
king,  "till  he  puts  his  hand  into  my  hand." 

Since  Cud  left  home,  the  father  and  mother 
had  never  risen  from  the  fireside,  but  were  sitting 
there  always  and  crying.  When  the  ship  was 
three  miles  from  land,  Cud  ran  from  the  stern  to 
the  stem,  sprang  to  land,  ran  into  the  castle, 
gave  one  hand  to  his  mother,  and  the  other  to 
his  father. 

It  was  n't  one  boat,  but  boats,  that  went  out  to 
the  ship  for  the  brothers  and  the  women.  When 
they  came,  all  spent  the  night  with  great  pleasure 
in  the  castle.  Next  day  the  king  sent  seven 
score  of  ships  and  one  ship  to  sea  to  bring  sup- 
plies for  the  wedding.  When  the  ships  came 
back  laden  from  foreign  parts,  he  sent  messen- 
gers to  invite  all  the  people  in  the  kingdom. 
They  were  coming  till  they  blackened  the  hills 
and  spotted  the  valleys.  I  was  there  myself,  and 
we  spent  nine  nights  and  nine  days  in  great  glee 
and  pleasure. 


CAHAL,  SON  OF  KING  CONOR,  IN  ERIN, 
AND  BLOOM  OF  YOUTH,  DAUGHTER  OF 
THE  KING  OF  HATHONY. 

THERE  was  a  king  in  Hathony  long  ago  who 
had  an  old  castle  by  the  sea.  This  king 
went  out  walking  one  day  along  the  clean, 
smooth  strand,  and,  while  walking,  the  thought 
rose  in  him  to  take  a  sail  near  the  shore.  He 
stepped  into  his  boat  with  attendants  and  men, 
and  was  sailing  about  in  enjoyment  and  pleasure, 
when  a  wind  came  with  a  mist  of  enchantment, 
and  drove  the  boat  away  through  the  sea  with  the 
king  and  his  men. 

They  were  going  before  the  wind,  without  a 
sight  of  sky  or  sea;  no  man  in  the  boat  could  see 
the  man  who  sat  next  to  him.  They  were  that  way 
moving  in  the  mist  without  knowledge  of  where 
they  were,  or  where  they  were  going,  and  the  boat 
never  stopped  till  it  sailed  into  a  narrow  harbor 
in  a  lonely  place  without  house  or  habitation. 

The  king  left  the  boat  well  fastened  at  the 
shore,  and  went  his  way,  walking  till  he  came  to 
a  castle,  and  what  castle  should  it  be  but  the 
castle  of  King  Conor,  in  Erin. 


2  24  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

King  Conor  received  the  King  of  Hathony 
with  great  hospitality  and  welcome. 

When  the  two  had  spent  some  days  in  com- 
pany, they  became  great  friends,  and  made  a 
match  between  their  two  children.  The  King 
of  Hathony  had  a  daughter  called  Bloom  of 
Youth,  who  was  nine  years  of  age,  and  King 
Conor  had  a  son  ten  years  old,  named  Cahal. 

When  the  King  of  Hathony  wished  to  go  back 
to  his  own  land.  King  Conor  of  Erin  gave  a  ship 
to  him,  and  the  king  sailed  away  with  good 
wishes  and  with  supplies  for  a  day  and  a  year. 

Bloom  of  Youth  grew  up  in  such  beauty  that 
she  had  not  her  equal  in  Hathony  or  in  other 
lands,  and  Cahal,  King  Conor's  son,  became 
such  a  hero  that  no  man  knew  was  the  like 
of  him  in  any  place. 

On  a  day  Cahal  said  to  his  father,  "  Make  up 
some  treasure  for  me  and  stores  for  my  ship.  I 
must  leave  home  now  and  be  travelling  through 
the  world  till  I  know  is  there  a  better  man  than 
myself  in  it." 

"It  is,  indeed,  time  for  you  to  be  going,"  said 
King  Conor,  "for  in  three  years  you  are  to  marry 
Bloom  of  Youth,  the  daughter  of  the  King  of 
Hathony,  and  you  should  be  making  out  the 
place  now  where  her  father  lives." 

Next  morning  Cahal  took  what  treasures  his 


Cahal  and  Bloom  of  Youth,  225 

father  gave  him,  and  provisions,  went  to  his  ship 
and  raised  sails.  Away  he  went  on  his  voyage, 
sailing  over  the  sea  in  one  way  and  another,  in 
this  direction  and  that.  He  sailed  one  year  and 
three-quarters  of  a  second  year,  but  found  no  man 
to  give  tale  or  tidings  of  the  King  of  Hathony. 

Once  on  a  gloomy  day  he  was  sailing  along 
through  the  waves,  when  a  strong  north  wind 
rose,  and  blew  with  such  force  that  he  let  his 
ship  go  with  it. 

Three  days  and  nights  the  ship  went  before 
the  north  wind,  and  on  the  fourth  day,  in  the 
morning,  it  was  thrown  in  on  a  rocky  coast. 

Cahal  saved  his  life  and  his  sword,  and  went 
away  walking  through  the  country.  On  the 
evening  of  the  fifth  day  he  came  to  an  old  castle 
near  the  seashore,  and  said  to  himself,  "  I  will 
not  go  in  here  to  ask  for  lodgings  like  any  poor 
traveller."  With  that  he  walked  up  and  put  a 
blow  on  the  pole  of  combat  that  made  the  whole 
castle  tremble. 

Out  rushed  the  messenger.  "What  brought 
you  here,  and  what  do  you  want.?"  asked  he  of 
King  Conor's  son. 

"I  want  men  to  meet  me  in  combat,  seven 
hundred  champions  on  my  right  hand,  seven 
hundred  on  my  left,  seven  hundred  behind  me, 
and  the  same  number  in  front  of  me."' 

IS 


226  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

The  man  ran  in  and  gave  the  message  to  the 
king. 

"Oh,"  said  the  King  of  Hathony,  "that  is  my 
son-in-law  from  Erin;  "  and  out  he  went. 

"Are  you  the  son  of  King  Conor?  "  asked  the 
king. 

"I  am,"  said  Cahal. 

"A  hundred  thousand  welcomes  to  you,"  said 
the  king. 

"  Thankful  am  I  for  the  welcomes,  and  glad  to 
receive  them,"  said  Cahal.  "I  had  great  trouble 
in  coming;  it  is  not  easy  to  find  you." 

"It  is  not  easy  to  find  any  man  unless  you 
know  the  road  to  his  house,"  said  the  king. 

There  was  great  feasting  that  night  and  enter- 
tainment for  Cahal.  Next  day  the  king  said, 
"Your  bride,  my  daughter,  is  gone  these  two 
months.  Striker,  son  of  the  King  of  Tricks, 
came  to  my  castle  and  stole  her  away  from  me. " 

"  My  word  for  it,  he  will  not  keep  her  unless 
he  is  a  better  man  than  I  am,"  said  Cahal. 

"I  am  sure  of  that,"  said  the  king,  "and  I  said 
so." 

"  My  own  ship  was  wrecked  on  your  coast,  and 
now  you  must  give  me  another  in  place  of  it," 
said  Cahal. 

"I  will,"  said  the  king,  "and  a  good  one;  but 
you  can  do  nothing  on  sea  against  Striker." 


Cahal  and  Bloom  of  Youth,  227 

"  I  am  more  used  to  the  sea  now  than  to  land, 
I  am  so  long  on  it,"  answered  Cahal. 

"  If  you  were  born  on  the  water  and  had  lived 
every  day  of  your  life  on  it,  you  could  do  nothing 
at  sea  against  Striker.  There  is  not  a  man  living 
who  can  face  him  at  sea." 

Nothing  would  satisfy  Cahal  but  to  go  against 
Striker  by  sea;  so  he  took  the  ship  which  the 
king  gave  and  sailed  away,  sailed  week  after 
week  till  he  was  within  a  day's  journey  of 
Striker's  castle.  Striker  thrust  his  head  up 
through  the  top  of  the  castle  then,  and  let  a 
blast  out  through  his  mouth  that  sent  Cabal's 
ship  back  twice  the  distance  it  had  come. 

King  Conor's  son  sailed  forward  again,  and 
again  Striker  blew  him  back  as  far  as  he  had 
the  first  time. 

Cahal  sailed  now  to  the  castle  of  the  King  of 
Hathony. 

"I  said  that  you  could  do  nothing  against 
Striker  on  sea.  If  you  wish  to  get  the  upper 
hand  of  him  I  will  tell  you  what  to  do.  Take 
this  bridle  and  shake  it  behind  the  castle;  what- 
ever beast  comes  to  you  take  that  one,  and  ride 
away  against  Striker." 

When  Cahal  shook  the  bridle,  out  came  the 
smallest  and  ugliest  beast  in  the  stables,  a  lean, 
shaggy  mare. 


228  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"Oh,  then,  bad  luck  to  you  for  coming,"  said 
the  king's  son,  "and  so  many  fine  steeds  in  the 
stables." 

"  That  is  the  pony  my  daughter  used  to  ride, 
that  is  the  best  horse  in  the  stables ;  take  her. 
She  is  not  easy  to  ride  though,  for  she  is  full 
of  tricks  and  enchantment,  but  if  you  are  the 
right  man  she'll  not  throw  you.  She  goes  on 
water  as  well  as  land,  and  you  will  be  at  your 
enemy's  castle  to-day." 

Cabal  mounted,  and  away  went  the  mare.  She 
crossed  one  hill  at  the  first  leap,  three  at  the 
second,  then  twelve  hills  and  valleys  at  the  third 
leap ;  went  over  land  and  sea,  and  never  stopped 
till  she  was  in  front  of  Striker's  castle,  two  hours 
before  sunset. 

Cabal  sprang  from  the  mare,  and  struck  the 
pole  of  combat. 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  the  attendant, 
running  out. 

"I  want  seven  hundred  champions  in  combat 
at  my  right  side,  seven  hundred  at  my  left,  seven 
hundred  behind  me,  and  seven  hundred  out  before 
my  face. " 

The  attendant  went  in,  and  out  came  the 
twenty-eight  hundred  against  Cabal. 

He  went  at  the  champions,  and  before  sunset 
he   had   them    in  three  heaps,   a   heap   of   their 


Cahal  and  Bloom  of  Youth,  229 

bodies,  a  heap  of  their  heads,  and  a  heap  of  their 
weapons. 

Next  morning  Cahal  struck  the  pole  again. 

"What  do  you  want  this  time.^"  asked  the 
attendant. 

"Seven  thousand  champions  against  me  for 
every  hundred  that  I  had  yesterday." 

Out  came  the  champions  in  thousands.  As 
they  were  coming  Cahal  was  going  through  them, 
and  before  the  day  was  ended  he  had  them  in 
three  heaps  without  leaving  a  man,  a  heap  of 
their  heads,  a  heap  of  their  bodies,  and  a  heap 
of  their  weapons. 

He  struck  the  pole  on  the  third  morning,  and 
before  the  attendant  had  time  to  open  his  mouth, 
Cahal  shouted,  "Send  out  every  man  in  the 
place.  I  may  as  well  spend  one  day  on  them 
all  as  to  be  calling  for  champions  occasion- 
ally." 

The  forces  of  Striker,  son  of  the  King  of 
Tricks,  were  coming  as  fast  as  ever  they  could 
make  their  way  through  the  gates.  They  were 
rushing  at  Cahal  like  showers  of  hail  on  a  stormy 
day,  but  they  could  neither  kill  him  nor  get  the 
upper  hand.  They  could  neither  defend  them- 
selves nor  hurt  him,  and  Cahal  never  stopped  till 
he  had  them  all  in  a  heap  at  one  side. 

Cahal  struck  the  pole  on  the  fourth  day. 


230  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"What  do  you  want  now?"  asked  the  atten- 
dant. 

"  Striker,  son  of  the  King  of  Tricks,  in  combat 
before  me. " 

Out  came  Striker,  and  fell  upon  Cahal.  The 
two  fought  seven  days  and  six  nights  without 
stopping  or  resting,  then  Striker  called  for  a 
truce  and  got  it.  He  went  into  his  castle,  healed 
himself  in  his  caldron  of  cure,  ate  enough,  slept, 
and  was  as  fresh  as  ever  next  morning.  They 
spent  three  days  and  two  nights  in  combat  after 
that  without  rest. 

Striker  called  for  cessation  a  second  time  and 
got  it.  On  the  eleventh  morning  a  goldfinch 
perched  opposite  Cahal  and  said,  "  Bad  luck  to 
you  for  a  foolish  young  man  to  be  giving  your 
enemy  rest,  time  to  eat,  drink,  and  cure  himself, 
and  you  lying  outside  at  the  foot  of  the  wall  in 
hunger  and  cold.  Keep  him  working  till  he 
yields.  Give  him  no  rest  till  you  snatch  from 
his  breast  the  pin  which  he  has  in  the  left  side 
of  it." 

They  were  struggling  four  days  and  nights 
without  rest  or  cessation  till  the  fifth  morning, 
when  Cahal  snatched  the  pin  from  the  bosom  of 
Striker. 

"Oh,  spare  my  life!  "  cried  Striker.  "I  '11  be 
your  servant  in  every  place,  only  spare  me. " 


Cahal  and  Bloom  of  Youth,  231 

"I  want  nothing  of  you,"  said  Cahal,  "but 
this:  Send  out  my  bride  to  me;  you  took  her 
from  her  father,  the  King  of  Hathony,  and  she 
was  to  be  my  wife  soon  when  you  took  her.  Send 
her  to  me,  and  put  no  fog  or  enchantment  on  us 
while  we  are  on  the  way  home." 

"You  ask  more  than  I  can  give,"  said  Striker, 
"for  Wet  Mantle,  the  hero,  took  that  maiden 
from  me  two  months  ago.  When  going,  she  put 
him  under  bonds  not  to  molest  her  for  two  days 
and  two  years." 

"Where  can  I  find  Wet  Mantle.?" 

"That  is  more  than  I  can  tell;  but  put  your 
nose  before  you  and  follow  it." 

"That 's  a  short  answer,  and  I  would  take  your 
life  for  three  straws  on  account  of  it;  but  I'll 
let  some  other  man  have  his  chance  to  take  the 
head  off  you." 

Cahal  mounted  his  mare  then,  and  was  travel- 
ling  over  seas  and  dry  land,  —  travelling  a  long 
time  till  he  came  at  last  to  Wet  Mantle's  castle. 
He  struck  the  pole  of  combat,  and  out  came  the 
messenger. 

"  Who  are  you,  and  what  do  you  want  t " 

"  Seven  hundred  at  my  right  hand,  seven  hun 
dred  at  my  left,  seven  hundred  behind  me,  and 
seven  hundred  before  my  face." 

"That  's  more  men  than  you  can  find  in  this 


232  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

place,"  said  the  messenger.  "Wet  Mantle  lives 
here  in  his  own  way,  without  forces  or  company; 
he  keeps  no  man  but  me,  and  is  very  well 
satisfied." 

"Go  then,"  said  Cahal,  "and  tell  him  to  come 
out  himself  to  me." 

Wet  Mantle  came  out,  and  the  two  fought  seven 
days  and  six  nights.  Wet  Mantle  called  for  a 
truce  then  and  got  it.  The  hero  went  to  his 
castle,  cured  himself,  and  was  as  fresh  the  eighth 
morning  as  the  first.  They  began  to  fight,  and 
the  struggle  continued  three  days  and  two  nights. 
Wet  Mantle  called  for  a  truce,  and  received  it  the 
second  time.  On  the  eleventh  morning  he  was 
well  again,  and  ready  for  the  struggle. 

"Oh,  then,  it  is  foolish  and  simple  you  are, 
and  small  good  in  your  travelling  the  world," 
cried  a  goldfinch  to  Cahal.  "Why  are  you  out 
here  in  hunger  and  cold,  and  he  cured  and  fresh 
in  his  castle.?  Give  him  no  rest  the  next  time, 
but  fight  till  you  tire  him  and  take  the  mantle 
from  him.  He'll  be  as  weak  as  a  common  man 
then,  for  it  is  in  the  mantle  his  strength  is." 

On  the  eleventh  morning  they  began  for  the 
third  time  and  fought  fiercely  all  day.  In  the 
evening  Wet  Mantle  called  for  a  rest. 

"No,"  said  Cahal,  "you  '11  get  no  rest.  There 
is  no  rest  for  either  of  us.  You  must  fight  till 
you  or  I  yield." 


Cahal  and  Bloom  of  Youth.  233 

They  fought  on  till  the  following  evening. 
Wet  Mantle  called  for  rest  a  second  time. 

"No  rest  till  this  battle  is  ended,"  cried 
Cahal. 

They  held  on  all  that  night  venomously,  and 
were  fighting  at  noon  of  the  following  day. 
Then  Cahal  closed  on  his  enemy,  and  tore  the 
mantle  from  his  body. 

The  hero  without  his  mantle  had  no  more 
strength  than  a  common  man. 

"  You  are  the  best  champion  that  ever  I  have 
met,"  said  he  to  Cahal.  **  I  will  give  you  all  that 
you  ask,  but  don't  kill  me." 

"  I  have  no  wish  to  kill  or  to  hurt  you,  though 
good  treatment  is  not  what  you  deserve  from  me. 
You  caused  me  great  trouble  and  hardship  search- 
ing and  travelling,  not  knowing  where  to  find 
you.  I  want  nothing  of  you  but  my  bride,  and 
your  promise  not  to  put  fog  or  magic  on  us  or 
harm  us  until  we  reach  Erin  in  safety." 

"That  is  more  than  I  can  promise,"  said  Wet 
Mantle. 

"Why  so.?"  asked  Cahal. 

"The  gruagach,  Long  Sweeper,  took  that 
maiden  from  me,  and  she  put  him  under  bonds 
not  to  molest  her,  or  come  near  her  for  three 
days  and  three  years. " 

"Where  can  I  find  Long  Sweeper.?" 


234  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"That  is  more  than  I  can  tell,"  said  Wet 
Mantle.  "The  world  is  wide,  you  have  free  pas- 
sage through  it,  and  you  can  be  going  this  way 
and  that  till  you  find  him;  he  lives  in  a  very 
high  castle,  and  he  is  a  tall  man  himself;  he  has 
a  very  long  broom,  and  when  he  likes  he  sweeps 
the  sky  with  that  broom  three  times  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  the  day  that  he  sweeps,  there  is  no  man 
in  the  world  that  can  contradict  him  or  conquer 
him." 

Cahal  went  riding  his  pony  from  the  north  to 
the  south,  from  the  east  to  the  west,  and  west  to 
east,  three  years  and  two  days.  At  daylight  of 
the  third  day  he  saw  a  tall  castle  in  the  ocean 
before  him.  So  tall  was  the  castle  that  he  could 
not  tell  the  height  of  it,  and  a  man  on  the  sum- 
mit twice  as  tall  as  the  castle  itself,  and  he  with 
a  broom  sweeping  the  sky. 

"Ah,"  said  Cahal  to  himself,  ** I  have  you  at 
last" 

He  rode  forward  then  to  the  castle,  and  struck 
the  pole  of  combat. 

"  What  do  you  want }  "  asked  the  messenger. 

"I  want  men  to  meet  me  in  combat." 

"Well,  that  is  what  you'll  not  get  in  this 
place.  There  is  no  man  living  on  this  island  but 
Long  Sweeper  and  myself.  The  Black  Horse- 
man came  from  the  Western  World  three  months 


Cahal  and  Bloom  of  Youth.  235 

ago,  and  killed  every  man,  gave  Long  Sweeper 
great  hardship  and  trouble,  and  after  terrible 
fighting  got  the  upper  hand  of  him." 

"Well,  if  he  has  no  men,  let  him  come  out 
himself,  for  I  '11  never  leave  the  spot  till  I  knock 
satisfaction  out  of  Long  Sweeper  for  the  trouble 
he  gave  me  before  I  could  find  him." 

Long  Sweeper  came  out,  and  they  began  to 
fight;  they  fought  for  seven  days  and  six  nights. 
Toward  evening  of  the  seventh  day  Long  Sweeper 
called  for  rest  and  got  it.  He  went  into  his  high 
castle,  ate,  drank,  healed  himself  in  his  caldron 
of  cure,  and  slept  well  and  soundly,  while  Cahal 
had  to  rest  as  best  he  was  able  on  the  ground 
beyond  the  wall.  The  eighth  morning  Long 
Sweeper  went  up  on  his  castle  and  swept  the  sky 
back  and  forth  three  times,  and  got  such  strength 
that  no  man  on  earth  could  overcome  him  that 
day. 

They  fought  three  days  and  two  nights,  and 
fought  all  the  time  without  rest.  Long  Sweeper 
called  for  rest  then  and  got  it,  and  was  cured  and 
refreshed  as  before.  Next  morning  he  mounted 
the  castle,  swept  the  sky  three  times  with  his 
broom,  and  was  ready  for  combat. 

Before  Long  Sweeper  came,  the  goldfinch 
perched  in  front  of  Cahal  and  said,  "  Misfortune 
to  you,  son  of  King  Conor  in  Erin;  't  is  to  a  bad 


236  Hero- Tales  of  Ireland. 

place  you  came  with  your  life  to  lose  it,  and 
is  n't  it  foolish  of  you  to  give  your  enemy  rest, 
while  yourself  has  nothing  to  lie  on  but  the 
earth,  and  nothing  to  put  in  your  mouth  but  cold 
air?  Give  neither  rest  nor  truce  to  your  enemy. 
He  will  be  losing  strength  till  three  days  from 
now.  If  he  gets  no  chance  to  sweep  the  sky, 
he  '11  be  no  better  than  a  common  man." 

That  evening  Long  Sweeper  called  for  rest. 

"No,"  said  Cahal,  "you'll  get  no  rest  from 
me.  We  must  fight  till  either  one  or  the  other 
yields." 

"That 's  not  fair  fighting." 

"  It  is  not,  indeed.  I  am  ten  days  and  nights 
without  food,  drink,  or  rest,  while  you  have  had 
them  twice.  We  have  not  fought  fairly  so  far, 
but  we  will  hereafter.  You  must  remain  as  you 
are  now  till  one  of  us  is  conquered." 

They  were  fighting  till  noon,  the  thirteenth 
day.  "I  am  beaten,"  said  Long  Sweeper. 
"  Whatever  I  have  I  am  willing  to  give  you,  but 
spare  my  life,  for  if  there  is  a  good  hero  in  the 
world  you  are  he. " 

"I  want  nothing  of  you,"  said  Cahal,  "but  to 
send  out  to  me  my  bride.  Bloom  of  Youth, 
daughter  of  the  King  of  Hathony,  the  maiden 
you  took  from  Wet  Mantle.  You  have  caused 
me  great  hardship  and  trouble,  but  I  '11  let  some 


Cahal  and  Bloom  of  Youth,  237 

one  else  take  your  life,  or  may  you  live  as  you 
are." 

"I  cannot  send  out  your  bride,"  said  Long 
Sweeper,  "for  she  is  not  in  my  castle.  The 
Black  Horseman  took  her  from  me  three  months 
ago." 

"  Where  am  I  to  find  that  man  ?  " 

"  I  might  tell  you  to  put  your  nose  before  you 
and  walk  after  it,  but  I  will  not;  I  will  give 
you  a  guide.  Here  is  a  rod;  whichever  way  the 
rod  turns,  follow  it  till  you  come  to  the  Western 
World,  where  the  Black  Horseman  lives." 

Cahal  mounted  his  mare,  made  off  with  the 
rod  in  his  hand,  and  rode  straight  to  the  Black 
Horseman's  castle.  The  messenger  was  in  front 
of  the  castle  before  him. 

"Tell  your  master  to  send  out  champions 
against  me,  or  to  come  himself,"  said  Cahal. 

That  moment  the  Black  Horseman  himself  was 
on  the  threshold.  "I  am  here  all  alone,"  said 
he  to  Cahal.  "  I  have  lost  all  my  wealth,  all  my 
men,  all  my  magic.  I  am  now  in  a  poor  state, 
though  I  was  living  pleasantly  and  in  greatness 
after  the  conflict  in  which  I  got  the  better  of 
Long  Sweeper.  It 's  rich  and  strong  I  was  after 
parting  with  that  man,  and  I  was  waiting  here 
to  marry  when  White  Beard  from  the  Western 
World  came,  made  war  on  me,  and  continued  it 


238  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

for  a  day  and  a  year ;  then  he  left  me  poor  and 
lonely,  as  I  am  at  this  moment." 

"Well,"  said  Cahal,  "you  have  caused  me 
great  labor  and  hardship;  but  I  ask  nothing  of 
you  except  to  send  out  my  bride,  Bloom  of 
Youth,  to  me,  and  not  to  bring  fog  or  magic  on 
her  or  on  me  till  we  reach  home  in  safety." 

"White  Beard  took  your  bride  from  me,  and 
he  cannot  marry  her  for  four  days  and  four  years, 
for  she  put  him  under  bond  not  to  do  so.  I  will 
tell  you  now  how  to  find  her.  Do  you  see  that 
broad  river  in  front  of  us.**  It  flows  from  the 
Northern  to  the  Southern  World,  and  there  is 
no  way  to  cross  it  unless  a  good  hero  does  so  by 
springing  from  one  bank  to  the  other.  When 
White  Beard  took  the  maiden  from  me,  they 
walked  to  the  brink  of  the  river;  he  placed  the 
woman  then  on  his  shoulder  and  sprang  over  the 
river  to  the  west.  *  Let  me  down,  now,'  said 
the  woman.  *  I  will  not,'  replied  White  Beard, 
*  I  have  such  regard  for  you  that  I  will  show  you 
every  place  on  the  road.'  He  did  not  let  her 
down  till  he  showed  her  everything  between  the 
river  and  the  castle.  'You  may  come  down,' 
said  he,  when  they  entered  the  castle  (she  could 
see  everything  from  his  shoulder,  but  nothing 
from  the  ground).  When  coming  down  she 
thrust  a  sleeping  pin  that  she  had  in  the  head 


Cahal  and  Bloom  of  Youth,  239 

of  the  old  man,  and  he  fell  fast  asleep  standing 
there.  She  has  whatever  she  wishes  to  eat  or 
to  drink  in  the  castle.  All  is  in  a  mist  of 
enchantment.  She  can  see  nothing  outside  the 
castle,  but  everything  within.  That  was  my 
home  at  one  time.  I  was  born  and  reared  in  that 
castle,  and  lived  in  it  till  White  Beard  drove  me 
away  with  magic  and  violence.  I  came  to  this 
place  and  lived  here  a  time  without  trouble,  till 
I  took  Bloom  of  Youth  from  Long  Sweeper. 
I  was  waiting  to  marry  her,  when  White  Beard 
came,  destroyed  all  my  forces,  took  away  my 
enchantment,  carried  off  Bloom  of  Youth,  and 
left  me  here  without  strength  or  defence.  But 
one  thing  is  left  me,  and  that  I  will  give  you. 
Here  is  a  torch.  When  you  cross  the  river,  light 
it.  You  '11  find  the  road,  and  no  one  has  found 
it  since  I  was  there.  When  you  light  the  torch 
follow  the  road  to  an  old  cottage,  at  one  side 
from  the  castle.  In  this  cottage  is  a  henwife, 
who  has  lived  there  since  my  childhood.  She 
will  show  the  way  to  the  castle  and  back  to  her 
cottage.  From  there  you  may  journey  homeward 
in  safety,  by  lighting  the  torch  a  second  time, 
and  keeping  it  till  you  ride  out  of  the  castle's 
enchantment.     This  is  all  I  have  to  tell  you." 

Cahal  rode  briskly  to  the  river,    rode  across, 
lighted  his  torch  on  the  other  side,  saw  a  narrow 


240  Hero- Tales  of  Ireland, 

bright  road,  but  nothing  on  either  side.  The 
road  was  a  long  one,  but  he  came  to  the  end  of 
it  at  the  door  of  the  henwife's  old  cottage.  Cahal 
greeted  the  henwife. 

"A  hundred  thousand  welcomes,"  said  the  old 
woman.  "You  are  here  from  my  master,  the 
Black  Horseman,  or  you  could  not  be  in  it.  Can 
I  help  you  in  any  way }  " 

"I  want  nothing  of  you  but  to  show  me  the 
way  to  the  castle  of  White  Beard,  where  my  bride 
is,  and  then  bring  me  back  to  this  place." 

"Follow  me,"  said  the  henwife,  "and  leave 
your  horse  here." 

She  took  Cahal  by  the  hand  and  went  forward 
till  she  came  to  the  castle  and  entered  it.  There 
Cahal  saw  the  finest  woman  that  ever  he  had  met 
in  the  world.  "Well,"  said  he  to  himself,  "I 
am  not  sorry,  after  all  my  troubles  and  hardships, 
if  you  are  the  woman  I  am  to  marry." 

"A  greeting  to  you,  young  hero,"  said  the 
woman.  "Who  are  you  who  have  been  able  to 
come  to  this  castle,  and  why  are  you  here.?  " 

"My  name  is  Cahal,  son  of  King  Conor,  in 
Erin.  I  am  long  travelling  and  fighting  to  find 
and  to  rescue  my  bride.  Bloom  of  Youth,  daugh- 
ter of  the  King  of  Hathony.  Who  are  you,  fair 
lady }  "  asked  Cahal. 

"  I  am  the  daughter  of  the  King  of  Hathony. 


Cahal  and  Bloom  of  Youth,  241 

The  day  before  I  was  taken  by  Striker,  son  of 
the  King  of  Tricks,  my  father  told  me  that  the 
son  of  King  Conor,  in  Erin,  was  betrothed  to 
me.     You,  I  suppose,  are  that  man  ?  " 

"I  am,"  said  Cahal.  "Come  with  me  now,  I 
will  free  you;  but  what  are  we  to  do  with  White 
Beard.?" 

"Leave  him  as  he  is.  There  is  no  knowing 
what  he  would  do  should  we  rouse  him." 

The  two  went  with  the  henwife  to  her  cottage. 
Cahal  lighted  the  torch  a  second  time,  mounted 
the  mare,  put  Bloom  of  Youth  in  front,  rode  first 
to  Hathony,  and  then  home  to  Erin. 

King  Conor  made  a  great  feast  of  welcome  for 
Cahal  and  his  bride.  There  were  seven  hundred 
guests  at  the  short  table,  eight  hundred  at  the 
long  table,  nine  hundred  at  the  round  table,  and 
a  thousand  in  the  grand  hall.  I  was  there  and 
heard  the  whole  story,  but  got  no  present  except 
shoes  of  paper  and  stockings  of  buttermilk,  and 
these  a  herder  stole  from  me  in  crossing  the 
mountains. 


COLDFEET  AND   THE   QUEEN   OF 
LONESOME   ISLAND. 

/^NCE  upon  a  time,  and  a  long  time  ago  it 
^■^^  was,  there  lived  an  old  woman  in  Erin. 
This  old  woman's  house  was  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  Mount  Brandon.  Of  all  the  friends 
and  relatives  that  ever  she  had  in  the  world 
there  was  but  one  left,  her  only  son,  Sean,^ 
nicknamed  Fuarcosa  (Coldfeet). 

The  reason  that  people  called  the  boy  Coldfeet 
was  this :  When  a  child  he  was  growing  always ; 
what  of  him  did  not  grow  one  hour  grew  an- 
other; what  did  not  grow  in  the  day  grew  in  the 
night;  what  did  not  grow  in  the  night  grew 
in  the  day;  and  he  grew  that  fast  that  when 
seven  years  old  he  could  not  find  room  enough 
in  his  mother's  house.  When  night  came  and 
he  was  sleeping,  whatever  corner  of  the  house 
his  head  was  in,  it  was  out  of  doors  that  his 
feet  were,  and,  of  course,  they  were  cold,  espe- 
cially in  winter. 

1  Pronounce  Shawn,  —  John. 


IT    WAS    NOT    LONG    TILL     HIS    LEGS    AS    WELL    AS     HIS    FEET 
WERE    OUT    OF    THE    HOUSE.        Page  24S. 


Coldfeet  and  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island.  243 

It  was  not  long  till  his  legs  as  well  as  his  feet 
were  out  of  the  house,  first  to  the  knees,  and 
then  to  the  body.  When  fifteen  years  old  it 
was  all  that  he  could  do  to  put  his  head  in,  and 
he  lived  outdoors  entirely.  What  the  mother 
could  gather  in  a  year  would  not  support  the  son 
for  a  day,  he  was  that  large  and  had  such  an 
appetite. 

Coldfeet  had  to  find  his  own  food,  and  he  had 
no  means  of  living  but  to  bring  home  sheep  and 
bullocks  from  whatever  place  he  met  them. 

He  was  going  on  in  this  way,  faring  rather 
ill  than  well,  when  one  day  above  another  he 
said,  "I  think  I  must  go  into  the  great  world, 
mother.  I  am  half  starving  in  this  place.  I  can 
do  little  good  for  myself  as  I  am,  and  no  good 
at  all  for  you." 

He  rose  early  next  morning,  washed  his  face 
and  hands,  asked  assistance  and  protection  of 
God,  and  if  he  did  not,  may  we.  He  left  good, 
health  with  his  mother  at  parting,  and  away  he 
went,  crossing  high  hills,  passing  low  dales,  and 
kept  on  his  way  without  halt  or  rest,  the  clear 
day  going  and  the  dark  night  coming,  taking 
lodgings  each  evening  wherever  he  found  them, 
till  at  last  he  came  to  a  high  roomy  castle. 

He  entered  the  castle  without  delaying  out- 
side, and  when  he  went  in,  the  owner  asked  was 
he  a  servant  in  search  of  a  master. 


244  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"I  am  in  search  of  a  master,"  said  Coldfeet. 

He  engaged  to  herd  cows  for  small  hire  and 
his  keeping,  and  the  time  of  his  service  was  a 
day  and  a  year. 

Next  morning,  when  Coldfeet  was  driving  the 
cattle  to  pasture,  his  master  was  outside  in  the 
field  before  him,  and  said,  "  You  must  take  good 
care  of  yourself,  for  of  all  the  herders  who  took 
service  with  me  never  a  man  but  was  killed  by 
one  or  another  of  four  giants  who  live  next  to  my 
pastures.  One  of  these  giants  has  four,  the  next 
six,  the  third  eight,  and  the  fourth  twelve  heads 
on  him." 

"  By  my  hand !  "  said  Coldfeet,  "  I  did  not  come 
here  to  be  killed  by  the  like  of  them.  They  will 
not  hurt  me,  never  fear." 

Coldfeet  went  on  with  the  cattle,  and  when  he 
came  to  the  boundary  he  put  them  on  the  land 
of  the  giants.  The  cows  were  not  long  grazing 
when  one  of  the  giants  at  his  castle  caught  the 
odor  of  the  strange  herder  and  rushed  out. 
When  coming  at  a  distance  he  shouted,  "I  smell 
the  blood  of  a  man  from  Erin;  his  liver  and 
lights  for  my  supper  to-night,  his  blood  for  my 
morning  dram,  his  jawbones  for  stepping-stones, 
his  shins  for  hurleys !  " 

When  the  giant  came  up  he  cried,  "Ah,  that 
is  you,   Coldfeet,  and  was  n't  it  the  impudence 


Coldfeet  and  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island.  245 

in  you  to  come  here  from  the  butt  of  Brandon 
Mountain  and  put  cattle  on  my  land  to  annoy 
me?" 

"  It  is  n't  to  give  satisfaction  to  you  that  I  am 
here,  but  to  knock  satisfaction  out  of  your  bones," 
said  Coldfeet. 

With  that  the  giant  faced  the  herder,  and  the 
two  went  at  each  other  and  fought  till  near 
evening.  They  broke  old  trees  and  bent  young 
ones ;  they  made  hard  places  soft  and  soft  places 
hard ;  they  made  high  places  low  and  low  places 
high;  they  made  spring  wells  dry,  and  brought 
water  through  hard,  gray  rocks  till  near  sunset, 
when  Coldfeet  took  the  heads  off  the  giant  and 
put  the  four  skulls  in  muddy  gaps  to  make  a  dry, 
solid  road  for  the  cows. 

Coldfeet  drove  out  his  master's  cattle  on  a 
second,  third,  and  fourth  morning;  each  day  he 
killed  a  giant,  each  day  the  battle  was  fiercer, 
but  on  the  fourth  evening  the  fourth  giant  was 
dead. 

On  the  fifth  day  Coldfeet  was  not  long  on  the 
land  of  the  dead  giants  when  a  dreadful  enchanted 
old  hag  came  out  against  him,  and  she  raging 
with  anger.  She  had  nails  of  steel  on  her 
fingers  and  toes,  each  nail  of  them  weighing 
seven  pounds. 

"Oh,     you     insolent,     bloodthirsty     villain," 


246  Hero-  Tales  of  Ireland, 

screamed  she,  "to  come  all  the  way  from  Bran- 
don Mountain  to  kill  my  young  sons,  and,  poor 
boys,  only  that  timber  is  dear  in  this  country 
it  's  in  their  cradles  they  'd  be  to-day  instead  of 
being  murdered  by  you." 

"It  isn't  to  give  satisfaction  to  you  that  I  'm 
here,  you  old  witch,  but  to  knock  it  out  of  your 
wicked  old  bones,"  said  Coldfeet. 

"Glad  would  I  be  to  tear  you  to  pieces,"  said 
the  hag;  "but  'tis  better  to  get  some  good  of 
you  first.  I  put  you  under  spells  of  heavy 
enchantment  that  you  cannot  escape,  not  to  eat 
two  meals  off  the  one  table  nor  to  sleep  two 
nights  in  the  one  house  till  you  go  to  the  Queen 
of  Lonesome  Island,  and  bring  the  sword  of  light 
that  never  fails,  the  loaf  of  bread  that  is  never 
eaten,  and  the  bottle  of  water  that  is  never 
drained. " 

"  Where  is  Lonesome  Island } "  asked  Coldfeet. 

"Follow  your  nose,  and  make  out  the  place 
with  your  own  wit,"  said  the  hag. 

Coldfeet  drove  the  cows  home  in  the  evening, 
and  said  to  his  master,  "The  giants  will  never 
harm  you  again;  all  their  heads  are  in  the  muddy 
gaps  from  this  to  the  end  of  the  pasture,  and 
there  are  good  roads  now  for  your  cattle.  I 
have  been  with  you  only  five  days,  but  another 
would  not  do  my  work  in  a  day  and  a  year;  pay 


Coldfeet  and  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island,    247 

me  my  wages.  You  '11  never  have  trouble  again 
in  finding  men  to  mind  cattle." 

The  man  paid  Coldfeet  his  wages,  gave  him  a 
good  suit  of  clothes  for  the  journey,  and  his 
blessing. 

Away  went  Coldfeet  now  on  the  long  road, 
and  by  my  word  it  was  a  strange  road  to  him. 
He  went  across  high  hills  and  low  dales,  passing 
each  night  where  he  found  it,  till  the  evening  of 
the  third  day,  when  he  came  to  a  house  where 
a  little  old  man  was  living.  The  old  man  had 
lived  in  that  house  without  leaving  it  for  seven 
hundred  years,  and  had  not  seen  a  living  soul  in 
that  time. 

Coldfeet  gave  good  health  to  the  old  man,  and 
received  a  hundred  thousand  welcomes  in  return, 

"Will  you  give  me  a  night's  lodging?"  asked 
Coldfeet. 

"I  will  indeed,"  said  the  old  man,  "and  is  It 
any  harm  to  ask,  where  are  you  going?  " 

"What  harm  in  a  plain  question?  I  am  going 
to  Lonesome  Island  if  I  can  find  it." 

"You  will  travel  to-morrow,  and  if  you  are 
loose  and  lively  on  the  road  you  '11  come  at  night 
to  a  house,  and  inside  in  it  an  old  man  like 
myself,  only  older.  He  will  give  you  lodgings, 
and  tell  where  to  go  the  day  after." 

Coldfeet  rose  very  early  next  morning,  ate  his 


248  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

breakfast,  asked  aid  of  God,  and  if  he  did  n't  he 
let  it  alone.  He  left  good  health  with  the  old 
man,  and  received  his  blessing.  Away  with  him 
then  over  high  hills  and  low  dales,  and  if  any  one 
wished  to  see  a  great  walker  Coldfeet  was  the 
man  to  look  at.  He  overtook  the  hare  in  the  wind 
that  was  before  him,  and  the  hare  in  the  wind 
behind  could  not  overtake  him;  he  went  at  that 
gait  without  halt  or  rest  till  he  came  in  the  heel 
of  the  evening  to  a  small  house,  and  went  in. 
Inside  in  the  house  was  a  little  old  man  sitting 
by  the  fire. 

Coldfeet  gave  good  health  to  the  old  man,  and 
got  a  hundred  thousand  welcomes  with  a  night's 
lodging. 

"Why  did  you  come,  and  where  are  you 
going?"  asked  the  old  man.  ** Fourteen  hundred 
years  am  I  in  this  house  alone,  and  not  a  living 
soul  came  in  to  see  me  till  yourself  came  this 
evening." 

"I  am  going  to  Lonesome  Island,  if  I  can  find 
it." 

"  I  have  no  knowledge  of  that  place,  but  if  you 
are  a  swift  walker  you  will  come  to-morrow  even- 
ing to  an  old  man  like  myself,  only  older;  he 
will  tell  you  all  that  you  need,  and  show  you  the 
way  to  the  island." 

Next  morning  early  Coldfeet  went  away  after 


Coldfeet  and  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island,  249 

breakfast,  leaving  good  health  behind  him  and 
taking  good  wishes  for  the  road.  He  travelled 
this  day  as  on  the  other  two  days,  only  more 
swiftly,  and  at  nightfall  gave  a  greeting  to  the 
third  old  man. 

**A  hundred  thousand  welcomes,"  said  the 
old  man.  "  I  am  living  alone  in  this  house 
twenty-one  hundred  years,  and  not  a  living 
soul  walked  the  way  in  that  time.  You  are  the 
first  man  I  see  in  this  house.  Is  it  to  stay  with 
me  that  you  are  here  ?  " 

"It  is  not,"  said  Coldfeet,  "for  I  must  be 
moving.  I  cannot  spend  two  nights  in  the  one 
house  till  I  go  to  Lonesome  Island,  and  I  have 
no  knowledge  of  where  that   place  is." 

"Oh,  then,  it 's  the  long  road  between  this  and 
Lonesome  Island,  but  I'll  tell  where  the  place 
is,  and  how  you  are  to  go,  if  you  go  there.  The 
road  lies  straight  from  my  door  to  the  sea.  From 
the  shore  to  the  island  no  man  has  gone  unless 
the  queen  brought  him,  but  you  may  go  if  the 
strength  and  the  courage  are  in  you.  I  will  give 
you  this  staff;  it  may  help  you.  When  you  reach 
the  sea  throw  the  staff  in  the  water,  and  you  '11 
have  a  boat  that  will  take  you  without  sail  or 
oar  straight  to  the  island.  When  you  touch 
shore  pull  up  the  boat  on  the  strand;  it  will 
turn  into  a  staff  and  be  again  what  it  now  is. 


250  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

The  queen's  castle  goes  whirling  around  always. 
It  has  only  one  door,  and  that  on  the  roof  of  it. 
If  you  lean  on  the  staff  you  can  rise  with  one 
spring  to  the  roof,  go  in  at  the  door,  and  to  the 
queen's  chamber. 

"  The  queen  sleeps  but  one  day  in  each  year, 
and  she  will  be  sleeping  to-morrow.  The  sword 
of  light  will  be  hanging  at  the  head  of  her  bed, 
the  loaf  and  the  bottle  of  water  on  the  table  near 
by.  Seize  the  sword  with  the  loaf  and  the 
bottle,  and  away  with  you,  for  the  journey  must 
be  made  in  a  day,  and  you  must  be  on  this  side 
of  those  hills  before  nightfall.  Do  you  think 
you  can  do  that }  " 

"I  will  do  it,  or  die  in  the  trial,"  said 
Coldfeet. 

"  If  you  make  that  journey  you  will  do  what  no 
man  has  done  yet,"  said  the  old  man.  "Before 
I  came  to  live  in  this  house  champions  and  hun- 
dreds of  king's  sons  tried  to  go  to  Lonesome 
Island,  but  not  a  man  of  them  had  the  strength 
and  the  swiftness  to  go  as  far  as  the  seashore, 
and  that  is  but  one  part  of  the  journey.  All 
perished,  and  if  their  skulls  are  not  crumbled, 
you'll  see  them  to-morrow.  The  country  is 
open  and  safe  in  the  daytime,  but  when  night 
falls  the  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island  sends  her 
wild  beasts  to  destroy  every  man  they  can  find 


Coldfeet  and  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island,  251 

until  daybreak.  You  must  be  in  Lonesome 
Island  to-morrow  before  noon,  leave  the  place 
very  soon  after  mid-day,  and  be  on  this  side  of 
those  hills  before  nightfall,  or  perish." 

Next  morning  Coldfeet  rose  early,  ate  his 
breakfast,  and  started  at  daybreak.  Away  he 
went  swiftly  over  hills,  dales,  and  level  places, 
through  a  land  where  the  wind  never  blows  and 
the  cock  never  crows,  and  though  he  went 
quickly  the  day  before,  he  went  five  times  more 
quickly  that  day,  for  the  staff  added  speed  to 
whatever  man  had  it. 

Coldfeet  came  to  the  sea,  threw  the  staff  into 
the  water,  and  a  boat  was  before  him.  Away  he 
went  in  the  boat,  and  before  noon  was  in  the 
chamber  of  the  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island.  He 
found  everything  there  as  the  old  man  had  told 
him.  Seizing  the  sword  of  light  quickly  and 
taking  the  bottle  and  loaf,  he  went  toward  the 
door;  but  there  he  halted,  turned  back,  stopped 
a  while  with  the  queen.  It  was  very  near  he  was 
then  to  forgetting  himself;  but  he  sprang  up, 
took  one  of  the  queen's  golden  garters,  and  away 
with  him. 

If  Coldfeet  strove  to  move  swiftly  when  com- 
ing, he  strove  more  in  going  back.  On  he  raced 
over  hills,  dales,  and  flat  places  where  the  wind 
never  blows  and  the  cock  never  crows ;  he  nevei 


252  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

stopped  nor  halted.  When  the  sun  was  near 
setting  he  saw  the  last  line  of  hills,  and  remem- 
bering that  death  was  behind  and  not  far  from 
him,  he  used  his  last  strength  and  was  over  the 
hilltops  at  nightfall. 

The  whole  country  behind  him  was  filled  with 
wild  beasts. 

"Oh,"  said  the  old  man,  "but  you  are  the  hero, 
and  I  was  in  dread  that  you  'd  lose  your  life  on 
the  journey,  and  by  my  hand  you  had  no  time  to 
spare. " 

"I  had  not,  indeed,"  answered  Coldfeet. 
"Here  is  your  staff,  and  many  thanks  for  it." 

The  two  spent  a  pleasant  evening  together. 
Next  morning  Coldfeet  left  his  blessing  with  the 
old  man  and  went  on,  spent  a  night  with  each 
of  the  other  old  men,  and  never  stopped  after 
that  till  he  reached  the  hag's  castle.  She  was 
outside  before  him  with  the  steel  nails  on  her 
toes  and  fingers. 

"Have  you  the  sword,  the  bottle,  and  the 
loaf }  "  asked  she. 

"I  have,"  said  Coldfeet;  "here  they  are." 

"Give  them  to  me,"  said  the  hag. 

"If  I  was  bound  to  bring  the  three  things," 
said  Coldfeet,  "  I  was  not  bound  to  give  them  to 
you;  I  will  keep  them." 

"Give  them  here!  "  screamed  the  hag,  raising 
her  nails  to  rush  at  him. 


Coldfeet  and  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island,  253 

With  that  Coldfeet  drew  the  sword  of  light, 
and  sent  her  head  spinning  through  the  sky  in 
the  way  that  't  is  not  known  in  what  part  of  the 
world  it  fell  or  did  it  fall  in  any  place.  He 
burned  her  body  then,  scattered  the  ashes,  and 
went  his  way  farther. 

"I  will  go  to  my  mother  first  of  all,"  thought 
he,  and  he  travelled  till  evening.  When  his  feet 
struck  small  stones  on  the  road,  the  stones  never 
stopped  till  they  knocked  wool  off  the  spinning- 
wheels  of  old  hags  in  the  Eastern  World.  In  the 
evening  he  came  to  a  house  and  asked  lodgings. 

"I  will  give  you  lodgings,  and  welcome,"  said 
the  man  of  the  house;  *'but  I  have  no  food  for 
you." 

"I  have  enough  for  us  both,"  said  Coldfeet, 
*'and  for  twenty  more  if  they  were  in  it;"  and 
he  put  the  loaf  on  the  table. 

The  man  called  his  whole  family.  All  had 
their  fill,  and  left  the  loaf  as  large  as  it  was 
before  supper.  The  woman  of  the  house  made 
a  loaf  in  the  night  like  the  one  they  had  eaten 
from,  and  while  Coldfeet  was  sleeping  took  his 
bread  and  left  her  own  in  the  place  of  it.  Away 
went  Coldfeet  next  morning  with  the  wrong  loaf, 
and  if  he  travelled  differently  from  the  day  before 
it  was  because  he  travelled  faster.  In  the  even- 
ing he  came  to  a  house,  and  asked  would  they 
give  him  a  night's  lodging. 


254  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

"We  will,  indeed,"  said  the  woman,  "but  we 
have  no  water  to  cook  supper  for  you ;  the  water 
is  far  away  entirely,  and  no  one  to  go  for  it. " 

"I  have  water  here  in  plenty,"  said  Coldfeet, 
putting  his  bottle  on  the  table. 

The  woman  took  the  bottle,  poured  water  from 
it,  filled  one  pot  and  then  another,  filled  every 
vessel  in  the  kitchen,  and  not  a  drop  less  in  the 
bottle.  What  wonder,  when  no  man  or  woman 
ever  born  could  drain  the  bottle  in  a  lifetime. 

Said  the  woman  to  her  husband  that  night, 
"If  we  had  the  bottle,  we  needn't  be  killing 
ourselves  running  for  Water." 

"We  need  not,"  said  the  man. 

What  did  the  woman  do  in  the  night,  when 
Coldfeet  was  asleep,  but  take  a  bottle,  fill  it  with 
water  from  one  of  the  pots,  and  put  that  false 
bottle  in  place  of  the  true  one.  Away  went 
Coldfeet  next  morning,  without  knowledge  of 
the  harm  done,  and  that  day  he  travelled  in  the 
way  that  when  he  fell  in  running  he  had  not  time 
to  rise,  but  rolled  on  till  the  speed  that  was  under 
him  brought  him  to  his  feet  again.  At  sunset 
he  was  in  sight  of  a  house,  and  at  dusk  he  was 
in  it. 

Coldfeet  found  welcome  in  the  house,  with  food 
and  lodgings. 

"It  is  great  darkness  we  are  in,"  said  the  man 
to  Coldfeet;  "we  have  neither  oil  nor  rushes." 


Coldfeet  and  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island.   255 

"I  can  give  you  light,"  said  Coldfeet,  and  he 
unsheathed  the  sword  from  Lonesome  Island;  it 
was  clear  inside  the  house  as  on  a  hilltop  in 
sunlight. 

When  the  people  had  gone  to  bed  Coldfeet  put 
the  sword  into  its  sheath,  and  all  was  dark  again. 

"Oh,"  said  the  woman  to  her  husband  that 
night,  "if  we  had  the  sword  we'd  have  light  in 
the  house  always.  You  have  an  old  sword  above 
on  the  loft.  Rise  out  of  the  bed  now  and  put  it 
in  the  place  of  that  bright  one." 

The  man  rose,  took  the  two  swords  out  doors, 
put  the  old  blade  in  Coldfeet's  sheath,  and  hid 
away  Coldfeet's  sword  in  the  loft.  Next  morn- 
ing Coldfeet  went  away,  and  never  stopped  till 
he  came  to  his  mother's  cabin  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Brandon.  The  poor  old  woman  was  cry- 
ing and  lamenting  every  day.  She  felt  sure  that 
it  was  killed  her  son  was,  for  she  had  never  got 
tale  or  tidings  of  him.  Many  is  the  welcome 
she  had  for  him,  but  if  she  had  welcomes  she 
had  little  to  eat. 

"Oh,  then,  mother,  you  needn't  be  complain- 
ing," said  Coldfeet,  "we  have  as  much  bread 
now  as  will  do  us  a  lifetime;"  with  that  he  put 
the  loaf  on  the  table,  cut  a  slice  for  the  mother, 
and  began  to  eat  himself.  He  was  hungry,  and 
the  next  thing  he  knew  the  loaf  was  gone. 


256  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

"There  is  a  little  meal  in  the  house,"  said  the 
mother.     "  I  '11  go  for  water  and  make  stirabout." 

"I  have  water  here  in  plenty,"  said  Coldfeet. 
"Bring  a  pot." 

The  bottle  was  empty  in  a  breath,  and  they 
hadn't  what  water  would  make  stirabout  nor  half 
of  it. 

"Oh,  then,"  said  Coldfeet,  "the  old  hag 
enchanted  the  three  things  before  I  killed  her 
and  knocked  the  strength  out  of  every  one  of 
them. "  With  that  he  drew  the  sword,  and  it  had 
no  more  light  than  any  rusty  old  blade. 

The  mother  and  son  had  to  live  in  the  old 
way  again ;  but  as  Coldfeet  was  far  stronger  than 
the  first  time,  he  didn't  go  hungry  himself,  and 
the  mother  had  plenty.  There  were  cattle  in  the 
country,  and  all  the  men  in  it  couldn't  keep 
them  from  Coldfeet  or  stop  him.  The  old 
woman  and  the  son  had  beef  and  mutton,  and 
lived  on  for  themselves  at  the  foot  of  Brandon 
Mountain. 

In  three-quarters  of  a  year  the  Queen  of  Lone- 
some Island  had  a  son,  the  finest  child  that  sun 
or  moon  could  shine  on,  and  he  grew  in  the  way 
that  what  of  him  didn't  grow  in  the  day  grew  in 
the  night  following,  and  what  didn't  grow  that 
night  grew  the  next  day,  and  when  he  was  two 
years  old  he  was  very  large  entirely. 


Coldfeet  and  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island.  257 

The  queen  was  grieving  always  for  the  loaf 
and  the  bottle,  and  there  was  no  light  in  her 
chamber  from  the  day  the  sword  was  gone.  All 
at  once  she  thought,  "  The  father  of  the  boy  took 
the  three  things.  I  will  never  sleep  two  nights 
in  the  one  house  till  I  find  him." 

Away  she  went  then  with  the  boy,  —  went  over 
the  sea,  went  through  the  land  where  wind  never 
blows  and  where  cock  never  crows,  came  to  the 
house  of  the  oldest  old  man,  stopped  one  night 
there,  then  stopped  with  the  middle  and  the 
youngest  old  man.  Where  should  she  go  next 
night  but  to  the  woman  who  stole  the  loaf  from 
Coldfeet.  When  the  queen  sat  down  to  supper 
the  woman  brought  the  loaf,  cut  slice  after  slice; 
the  loaf  was  no  smaller. 

"  Where  did  you  get  that  loaf  t  "  asked  the 
queen. 

"I  baked  it  myself." 

"That  is  my  loaf,"  thought  the  queen. 

The  following  evening  she  came  to  a  house  and 
found  lodgings.  At  supper  the  woman  poured 
water  from  a  bottle,  but  the  bottle  was  full 
always. 

"Where  did  you  get  that  bottle.?  '* 

"It  was  left  to  us,"  said  the  woman;  "my 
grandfather  had  it." 

"That  is  my  bottle,"  thought  the  queen. 
17 


258  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

The  next  night  she  stopped  at  a  house  where 
a  sword  filled  the  whole  place  with  light. 

"  Where  did  you  find  that  beautiful  sword  ? " 
asked  the  queen. 

"My  grandfather  left  it  to  me,"  said  the  man. 
"  We  have  it  hanging  here  always. " 

"That  is  my  sword,"  said  the  queen  to  herself. 

Next  day  the  queen  set  out  early,  travelled 
quickly,  and  never  stopped  till  she  came  near 
Brandon  Mountain.  At  a  distance  she  saw  a 
man  coming  down  hill  with  a  fat  bullock  under 
each  arm.  He  was  carrying  the  beasts  as  easily 
as  another  would  carry  two  geese.  The  man  put 
the  bullocks  in  a  pen  near  a  house  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain,  came  out  toward  the  queen,  and 
never  stopped  till  he  saluted  her.  When  the 
man  stopped,  the  boy  broke  away  from  the  mother 
and  ran  to  the  stranger. 

"How  is  this.?"  asked  the  queen;  "the  child 
knows  you. "  She  tried  to  take  the  boy,  but  he 
would  not  go  to  her. 

"  Have  you  lived  always  in  this  place } "  asked 
the  queen. 

"  I  was  born  in  that  house  beyond,  and  reared 
at  the  foot  of  that  mountain  before  you.  I  went 
away  from  home  once  and  killed  four  giants, 
the  first  with  four,  the  second  with  six,  the  third 
with  eight,  and  the  fourth  with  twelve  heads  on 


Coldfeet  and  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island,    259 

him.  When  I  had  the  giants  killed,  their  mother 
came  out  against  me,  and  she  raging  with  ven- 
geance. She  wanted  to  kill  me  at  first,  but  she 
did  not.  She  put  me  under  bonds  of  enchant- 
ment to  go  to  the  castle  of  the  Queen  of  Lone- 
some Island,  and  bring  the  sword  of  light  that 
can  never  fail  to  cut  or  give  light,  the  loaf  of 
bread  that  can  never  be  eaten,  and  the  bottle  of 
water  that  can  never  be  drained." 

"  Did  you  go.?  "  asked  the  queen. 

"I  did." 

"  How  could  you  go  to  Lonesome  Island }  " 

"I  journeyed  and  travelled,  inquiring  for  the 
island,  stopping  one  night  at  one  place,  and  the 
next  night  at  another,  till  I  came  to  the  house  of 
a  little  man  seven  hundred  years  old.  He  sent 
me  to  a  second  man  twice  as  old  as  himself,  and 
the  second  to  a  third  three  times  as  old  as  the 
first  man. 

"The  third  old  man  showed  me  the  road  to 
Lonesome  Island,  and  gave  me  a  staff  to  assist 
me.  When  I  reached  the  sea  I  made  a  boat  of 
the  staff,  and  it  took  me  to  the  island.  On  the 
island  the  boat  was  a  staff  again. 

"I  sprang  to  the  top  of  the  queen's  turning 
castle,  went  down  and  entered  the  chamber  where 
she  was  sleeping,  took  the  sword  of  light,  with 
the  loaf   and  the  bottle,  and  was   coming  away 


26o  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

again.  I  looked  at  the  queen.  The  heart 
softened  within  me  at  sight  of  her  beauty.  I 
turned  back  and  came  near  forgetting  my  life 
with  her.  I  brought  her  gold  garter  with  me, 
took  the  three  things,  sprang  down  from  the 
castle,  ran  to  the  water,  made  a  boat  of  the 
staff  again,  came  quickly  to  mainland,  and  from 
that  hour  till  darkness  I  ran  with  what  strength 
I  could  draw  from  each  bit  of  my  body.  Hardly 
had  I  crossed  the  hilltop  and  was  before  the  door 
of  the  oldest  old  man  when  the  country  behind 
me  was  covered  with  wild  beasts.  I  escaped 
death  by  one  moment.  I  brought  the  three 
things  to  the  hag  who  had  sent  me,  but  I  did 
not  give  them.  I  struck  the  head  from  her,  but 
before  dying  she  destroyed  them,  for  when  I 
came  home  they  were  useless." 

"Have  you  the  golden  garter.? " 

"Here  it  is,"  said  the  young  man. 

"What  is  your  name?  "  asked  the  queen. 

"Coldfeet,"  said  the  stranger. 

"You  are  the  man,"  said  the  queen.  "Long 
ago  it  was  prophesied  that  a  hero  named  Cold- 
feet  would  come  to  Lonesome  Island  without  my 
request  or  assistance,  and  that  our  son  would 
cover  the  whole  world  with  his  power.  Come 
with  me  now  to  Lonesome  Island." 

The  queen  gave  Coldfeet's  old  mother  good 
clothing,  and  said,  "You  will  live  in  my  castle. " 


Coldfeet  and  Queen  of  Lonesome  Island.    261 

They  all  left  Brandon  Mountain  and  journeyed 
on  toward  Lonesome  Island  till  they  reached 
the  house  where  the  sword  of  light  was.  It  was 
night  when  they  came  and  dark  outside,  but 
bright  as  day  in  the  house  from  the  sword,  which 
was  hanging  on  the  wall. 

"Where  did  you  find  this  blade?  "  asked  Cold- 
feet,  catching  the  hilt  of  the  sword. 

"My  grandfather  had  it,"  said  the  woman. 

"He  had  not,"  said  Coldfeet,  "and  I  ought  to 
take  the  head  off  your  husband  for  stealing  it 
when  I  was  here  last." 

Coldfeet  put  the  sword  in  his  scabbard  and 
kept  it.  Next  day  they  reached  the  house  where 
the  bottle  was,  and  Coldfeet  took  that.  The 
following  night  he  found  the  loaf  and  recovered 
it.  All  the  old  men  were  glad  to  see  Coldfeet, 
especially  the  oldest,  who  loved  him. 

The  queen  with  her  son  and  Coldfeet  with  his 
mother  arrived  safely  in  Lonesome  Island.  They 
lived  on  in  happiness;  there  is  no  account  of 
their  death,  and  they  may  be  in  it  yet  for  aught 
we  know. 


LAWN  DYARRIG,  SON  OF  THE  KING 
OF  ERIN,  AND  THE  KNIGHT  OF 
TERRIBLE  VALLEY. 

'TPHERE  was  a  king  in  his  own  time  in  Erin, 
and  he  went  hunting  one  day.  The  king 
met  a  man  whose  head  was  out  through  his  cap, 
whose  elbows  and  knees  were  out  through  his 
clothing,  and  whose  toes  were  out  through  his 
shoes. 

The  man  went  up  to  the  king,  gave  him  a 
blow  on  the  face,  and  drove  three  teeth  from  his 
mouth.  The  same  blow  put  the  king's  head  in 
the  dirt.  When  he  rose  from  the  earth  the  king 
went  back  to  his  castle,  and  lay  down  sick  and 
sorrowful. 

The  king  had  three  sons,  and  their  names  were 
Ur,  Arthur,  and  Lawn  Dyarrig.  The  three  were 
at  school  that  day  and  came  home  in  the  evening. 
The  father  sighed  when  the  sons  were  coming  in. 

"What  is  wrong  with  our  father.?"  asked  the 
eldest. 

"Your  father  is  sick  on  his  bed,"  said  the 
mother. 


Lawn  Dyarrig  and  the  Knight,      263 

The  three  sons  went  to  their  father  and  asked 
what  was  on  him. 

"A  strong  man  that  I  met  to-day  gave  me  a 
blow  in  the  face,  put  my  head  in  the  dirt,  and 
knocked  three  teeth  from  my  mouth.  What 
would  you  do  to  him  if  you  met  him?"  asked 
the  father  of  the  eldest  son. 

"If  I  met  that  man,"  replied  Ur,  "I  would 
make  four  parts  of  him  between  four  horses." 

"You  are  my  son,"  said  the  king.  "What 
would  you  do  if  you  met  him }  "  asked  he  then, 
as  he  turned  to  the  second  son. 

"  If  I  had  a  grip  on  that  man  I  would  burn  him 
between  four  fires." 

"  You,  too,  are  my  son.  What  would  you  do }  " 
asked  the  king  of  Lawn  Dyarrig. 

"  If  I  met  that  man  I  would  do  my  best  against 
him,  and  he  might  not  stand  long  before  me." 

"  You  are  not  my  son.  I  would  not  lose  lands 
or  property  on  you,"  said  the  father.  "You 
must  go  from  me,  and  leave  this  to-morrow." 

On  the  following  morning  the  three  brothers 
rose  with  the  dawn ;  the  order  was  given  Lawn 
Dyarrig  to  leave  the  castle,  and  make  his  own 
way  for  himself.  The  other  two  brothers  were 
going  to  travel  the  world  to  know  could  they  find 
the  man  who  had  injured  their  father.  Lawn 
Dyarrig  lingered  outside  till  he  saw  the  two,  and 
they  going  off  by  themselves. 


264  Hero- Tales  of  Ireland. 

"It  is  a  strange  thing,"  said  he,  "for  two 
men  of  high  degree  to  go  travelling  without  a 
servant." 

"We  need  no  one,"  said  Ur. 

"Company  wouldn't  harm  us,"  said  Arthur. 

The  two  let  Lawn  Dyarrig  go  with  them  then 
as  a  serving-boy,  and  set  out  to  find  the  man  who 
had  struck  down  their  father.  They  spent  all 
that  day  walking,  and  came  late  to  a  house  where 
one  woman  was  living.  She  shook  hands  with  Ur 
and  Arthur,  and  greeted  them.  Lawn  Dyarrig 
she  kissed  and  welcomed,  called  him  son  of  the 
King  of  Erin. 

"  'T  is  a  strange  thing  to  shake  hands  with  the 
elder  and  kiss  the  younger,"  said  Ur. 

"This  is  a  story  to  tell,"  said  the  woman;  "the 
same  as  if  your  death  were  in  it. " 

They  made  three  parts  of  that  night.  The 
first  part  they  spent  in  conversation,  the  second 
in  telling  tales,  the  third  in  eating  and  drinking, 
with  sound  sleep  and  sweet  slumber.  As  early 
as  the  day  dawned  next  morning,  the  old  woman 
was  up  and  had  food  for  the  young  men.  When 
the  three  had  eaten  she  spoke  to  Ur,  and  this  is 
what  she  asked  of  him,  "  What  was  it  that  drove 
you  from  home,  and  what  brought  you  to  this 
place.?  " 

"  A  champion  met  my  father,  took  three  teeth 


Lawn  Dyarrig  and  the  Knight.      265 

from  him,  and  put  his  head   in  the  dirt.      I  am 
looking  for  that  man  to  find  him  alive  or  dead. " 

"That  was  the  Green  Knight  from  Terrible 
Valley.  He  is  the  man  who  took  the  three  teeth 
from  your  father.  I  am  three  hundred  years 
living  in  this  place,  and  there  is  not  a  year  of 
the  three  hundred  in  which  three  hundred  heroes 
fresh,  young,  and  noble  have  not  passed  on  the 
way  to  Terrible  Valley,  and  never  have  I  seen 
one  coming  back,  and  each  of  them  had  the  look 
of  a  man  better  than  you.  And  now,  where  are 
you  going,  Arthur?  " 

"I  am  on  the  same  journey  with  my  brother." 
"Where  are  you  going,  Lawn  Dyarrig.'*  " 
"I   am   going  with   these  as  a  servant,"  said 
Lawn  Dyarrig. 

"God's  help  to  you,  it's  bad  clothing  that's 
on  your  body,"  said  the  woman;  "and  now  I 
will  speak  to  Ur.  A  day  and  a  year  since  a 
champion  passed  this  way;  he  wore  a  suit  as  good 
as  was  ever  above  ground.  I  had  a  daughter 
sewing  there  in  the  open  window.  He  came  out- 
side, put  a  finger  under  her  girdle,  and  took  her 
with  him.  Her  father  followed  straightway  to 
save  her,  but  I  have  never  seen  daughter  or  father 
from  that  day  to  this.  That  man  was  the  Green 
Knight  of  Terrible  Valley.  He  is  better  than 
all  the  men  that  could  stand  on  a  field  a  mile  in 


266  Hero- Tales  of  Ireland, 

length  and  a  mile  in  breadth.  If  you  take  my 
advice  you  '11  turn  back  and  go  home  to  your 
father." 

'T  is  how  she  vexed  Ur  with  this  talk,  and  he 
made  a  vow  to  himself  to  go  on.  When  Ur  did 
not  agree  to  turn  home,  the  woman  said  to  Lawn 
Dyarrig,  "  Go  back  to  my  chamber,  you  '11  find  in 
it  the  apparel  of  a  hero." 

He  went  back,  and  there  was  not  a  bit  of  the 
apparel  that  he  did  not  go  into  with  a  spring. 

"You  may  be  able  to  do  something  now,"  said 
the  woman,  when  Lawn  Dyarrig  came  to  the 
front.  "  Go  back  to  my  chamber  and  search 
through  all  the  old  swords.  You  will  find  one 
at  the  bottom;  take  that." 

He  found  the  old  sword,  and  at  the  first  shake 
that  he  gave  he  knocked  seven  barrels  of  rust  out 
of  it;  after  the  second  shake,  it  was  as  bright  as 
when  made. 

"You  may  be  able  to  do  well  with  that,"  said 
the  woman.  "  Go  out  now  to  that  stable  abroad, 
and  take  the  slim  white  steed  that  is  in  it. 
That  one  will  never  stop  nor  halt  in  any  place 
till  he  brings  you  to  the  Eastern  World.  If  you 
like,  take  these  two  men  behind  you;  if  not,  let 
them  walk.  But  I  think  it  is  useless  for  you  to 
have  them  at  all  with  you. " 

Lawn  Dyarrig  went  out  to  the  stable,  took  the 


Lawn  Dyarrig  and  the  Knight.      267 

slim  white  steed,  mounted,  rode  to  the  front, 
and  catching  the  two  brothers,  planted  them  on 
the  horse  behind  him. 

"Now,  Lawn  Dyarrig,"  said  the  woman,  "this 
horse  will  never  stop  till  he  stands  on  the  little 
white  meadow  in  the  Eastern  World.  When  he 
stops,  you  '11  come  down  and  cut  the  turf  under 
his  beautiful  right  front  foot." 

The  horse  started  from  the  door,  and  at  every 
leap  he  crossed  seven  hills  and  valleys,  seven 
castles  with  villages,  acres,  roods,  and  odd 
perches.  He  could  overtake  the  whirlwind  before 
him  seven  hundred  times  before  the  whirlwind 
behind  could  overtake  him  once.  Early  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  next  day  he  was  in  the  Eastern 
World.  When  he  dismounted.  Lawn  Dyarrig  cut 
the  sod  from  under  the  foot  of  the  slim  white 
steed  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Ghost,  and  Terrible  Valley  was  down  under  him 
there.  What  he  did  next  was  to  tighten  the 
reins  on  the  neck  of  the  steed  and  let  him  go 
home. 

"  Now,"  said  Lawn  Dyarrig  to  the  brothers, 
"which  would  ye  rather  be  doing,  making  a 
basket  or  twisting  gads  (withes) }  " 

"We  would  rather  be  making  a  basket;  our 
help  is  among  ourselves,"  answered  they. 

Ur  and  Arthur  went  at  the  basket  and  Lawn 


268  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

Dyarrig  at  twisting  the  gads.  When  Lawn 
Dyarrig  came  to  the  opening  with  the  gads,  all 
twisted  and  made  into  one,  they  hadn't  the  ribs 
of  the  basket  in  the  ground  yet. 

"Oh,  then,  haven't  ye  anything  done  but 
that.?" 

"Stop  your  mouth,"  said  Ur,  "or  we '11  make 
a  mortar  of  your  head  on  the  next  stone." 

"To  be  kind  to  one  another  is  the  best  for  us," 
said  Lawn  Dyarrig.     "I  '11  make  the  basket." 

While  they  'd  be  putting  one  rod  in  the  basket 
he  had  the  basket  finished. 

"Oh,  brother,"  said  they,  "you  are  a  quick 
workman." 

They  had  not  called  him  brother  since  they  left 
home  till  that  moment. 

"Who  will  go  in  the  basket  now.?"  asked 
Lawn  Dyarrig,  when  it  was  finished,  and  the  gad 
tied  to  it. 

"  Who  but  me } "  said  Ur.  "  I  am  sure, 
brothers,  if  I  see  anything  to  frighten  me  ye '11 
draw  me  up." 

"We  will,"  said  the  other  two. 

He  went  in,  but  had  not  gone  far  when  he 
cried  to  pull  him  up  again. 

"By  my  father  and  the  tooth  of  my  father,  and 
by  all  that  is  in  Erin  dead  or  alive,  I  would  not 
give  one  other  sight  on  Terrible  Valley ! "  cried 
he,  when  he  stepped  out  of  the  basket. 


Lawn  Dyarrig  and  the  Knight.      269 

"Who  will  go  now?"  asked  Lawn  Dyarrig. 

"Who  will  go  but  me?  "  answered  Arthur. 

Whatever  length  Ur  went,  Arthur  did  n't  go 
the  half  of  it. 

"  By  my  father  and  the  tooth  of  my  father,  I 
would  n't  give  another  look  at  Terrible  Valley 
for  all  that's  in  Erin  dead  or  alive!" 

"I  will  go  now,"  said  Lawn  Dyarrig,  "and  as 
I  put  no  foul  play  on  you,  I  hope  ye  '11  not  put 
foul  play  on  me." 

"We  will  not,  indeed,"  said  they. 

Whatever  length  the  other  two  went,  Lawn 
Dyarrig  did  n't  go  the  half  of  it  till  he  stepped 
out  of  the  basket  and  went  down  on  his  own  feet. 
It  was  not  far  he  had  travelled  in  Terrible  Val- 
ley when  he  met  seven  hundred  heroes  guarding 
the  country. 

"In  what  place  here  has  the  Green  Knight  his 
castle?  "  asked  he  of  the  seven  hundred. 

"  What  sort  of  a  sprisawn  goat  or  sheep  from 
Erin  are  you  ?  "  asked  they. 

"  If  we  had  a  hold  of  you,  that 's  a  question 
you  would  not  put  the  second  time;  but  if  we 
haven't  you,  we'll  not  be  so  long." 

They  faced  Lawn  Dyarrig  then  and  attacked 
him ;  but  he  went  through  them  like  a  hawk  or 
a  raven  through  small  birds.  He  made  a  heap 
of  their  feet,  a  heap  of  their  heads,  and  a  castle 
of  their  arms. 


270  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland, 

After  that  he  went  his  way  walking,  and  had 
not  gone  far  when  he  came  to  a  spring.  "I'll 
have  a  drink  before  I  go  farther,"  thought  he. 
With  that  he  stooped  down  and  took  a  drink  of 
the  water.  When  he  had  drunk  he  lay  on  the 
ground  and  fell  asleep. 

Now  there  wasn't  a  morning  that  the  lady  in 
the  Green  Knight's  castle  did  n't  wash  in  the 
water  of  that  spring,  and  she  sent  a  maid  for 
the  water  each  time.  Whatever  part  of  the  day 
it  was  when  Lawn  Dyarrig  fell  asleep,  he  was 
sleeping  in  the  morning  when  the  girl  came. 
She  thought  it  was  dead  the  man  was,  and  she  was 
so  in  dread  of  him  that  she  would  not  come  near 
the  spring  for  a  long  time.  At  last  she  saw  he 
was  asleep,  and  then  she  took  the  water.  Her 
mistress  was  complaining  of  her  for  being  so 
long. 

"Do  not  blame  me,"  said  the  maid.  "lam 
sure  that  if  it  was  yourself  that  was  in  my  place 
you  'd  not  come  back  so  soon." 

"  How  so }  "  asked  the  lady. 

"The  finest  hero  that  a  woman  ever  laid  eyes 
on  is  sleeping  at  the  spring." 

"That's  a  thing  that  cannot  be  till  Lawn 
Dyarrig  comes  to  the  age  of  a  hero.  When 
that  time  comes  he  '11  be  sleeping  at  the 
spring." 


Lawn  Dyarrig  and  the  Knight.      271 

"He  is  in  it  now,"  said  the  girl. 

The  lady  did  not  stay  to  get  any  drop  of  the 
water  on  herself,  but  ran  quickly  from  the  castle. 
When  she  came  to  the  spring  she  roused  Lawn 
Dyarrig.  If  she  found  him  lying,  she  left  him 
standing.  She  smothered  him  with  kisses, 
drowned  him  with  tears,  dried  him  with  gar- 
ments of  fine  silk,  and  with  her  own  hair.  Her- 
self and  himself  locked  arms  and  walked  into  the 
castle  of  the  Green  Knight.  After  that  they 
were  inviting  each  other  with  the  best  food  and 
entertainment  till  the  middle  of  the  following 
day.     Then  the  lady  said,  — 

"When  the  Green  Knight  bore  me  away  from 
my  father  and  mother,  he  brought  me  straight 
to  this  castle,  but  I  put  him  under  bonds  not  to 
marry  me  for  seven  years  and  a  day,  and  he 
cannot;  still  I  must  serve  him.  When  he  goes 
fowling  he  spends  three  days  away,  and  the  next 
three  days  at  home.  This  is  the  day  for  him 
to  come  back,  and  for  me  to  prepare  his  dinner. 
There  is  no  stir  that  you  or  I  have  made  here 
to-day  but  that  brass  head  beyond  there  will  tell 
of  it." 

"It  is  equal  to  you  what  it  tells,"  said  Lawn 
Dyarrig,  "  only  make  ready  a  clean,  long  chamber 
for  me." 

She  did  so,  and  he  went  back  into  it.      Herself 


272  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

rose  up  then  to  prepare  dinner  for  the  Green 
Knight.  When  he  came  she  welcomed  him  as 
every  day.  She  left  down  his  food  before  him, 
and  he  sat  to  take  his  dinner.  He  was  sitting 
with  knife  and  fork  in  hand  when  the  brass  head 
spoke.  "  I  thought  when  I  saw  you  taking  food 
and  drink  with  your  wife  that  you  had  the  blood 
of  a  man  in  you.  If  you  could  see  that  sprisawn 
of  a  goat  or  sheep  out  of  Erin  taking  meat  and 
drink  with  her  all  day,  what  would  you  do }  " 

"  Oh,  my  suffering  and  sorrow ! "  cried  the 
knight.  "I'll  never  take  another  bite  or  sup 
till  I  eat  some  of  his  liver  and  heart.  Let  three 
hundred  heroes  fresh  and  young  go  back  and 
bring  his  heart  to  me,  with  the  liver  and  lights, 
till  I  eat  them." 

The  three  hundred  heroes  went,  and  hardly 
were  they  behind  in  the  chamber  when  Lawn 
Dyarrig  had  them  all  dead  in  one  heap. 

"  He  must  have  some  exercise  to  delay  my 
men,  they  are  so  long  away,"  said  the  knight. 
"  Let  three  hundred  more  heroes  go  for  his  heart, 
with  the  liver  and  lights,  and  bring  them  here 
to  me." 

The  second  three  hundred  went,  and  as  they 
were  entering  the  chamber.  Lawn  Dyarrig  was 
making  a  heap  of  them,  till  the  last  one  was 
inside,  where  there  were  two  heaps. 


Lawn  Dyarrig  and  the  Knight,      273 

"  He  has  some  way  of  coaxing  my  men  to  delay," 
said  the  knight.  "Do  you  go  now,  three  hun- 
dred of  my  savage  hirelings,  and  bring  him. " 

The  three  hundred  savage  hirelings  went,  and 
Lawn  Dyarrig  let  every  man  of  them  enter 
before  he  raised  a  hand,  then  he  caught  the 
bulkiest  of  them  all  by  the  two  ankles  and  began 
to  wallop  the  others  with  him,  and  he  walloped 
them  till  he  drove  the  life  out  of  the  two  hun- 
dred and  ninety-nine.  The  bulkiest  one  was 
worn  to  the  shin  bones  that  Lawn  Dyarrig  held 
in  his  two  hands.  The  Green  Knight,  who 
thought  Lawn  Dyarrig  was  coaxing  the  men, 
called  out  then,  "  Come  down,  my  men,  and  take 
dinner!" 

"I  '11  be  with  you,"  said  Lawn  Dyarrig,  "and 
have  the  best  food  in  the  house,  and  I  '11  have 
the  best  bed  in  the  house.  God  not  be  good  to 
you  for  it,  either.  '* 

He  went  down  to  the  Green  Knight  and  took 
the  food  from  before  him  and  put  it  before  him- 
self. Then  he  took  the  lady,  set  her  on  his  own 
knee,  and  he  and  she  went  on  eating.  After 
dinner  he  put  his  finger  under  her  girdle,  took 
her  to  the  best  chamber  in  the  castle,  and  re- 
mained there  till  morning.  Before  dawn  the 
lady  said  to  Lawn  Dyarrig,  — 

"  If  the  Green  Knight  strikes  the  pole  of  com- 
18 


274  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

bat  first,  he'll  win  the  day;  if  you  strike  first, 
you  '11  win,  if  you  do  what  I  tell  you.  The 
Green  Knight  has  so  much  enchantment  that  if 
he  sees  it  is  going  against  him  the  battle  is,  he  '11 
rise  like  a  fog  in  the  air,  come  down  in  the  same 
form,  strike  you,  and  make  a  green  stone  of 
you.  When  yourself  and  himself  are  going  out 
to  fight  in  the  morning,  cut  a  sod  a  perch  long 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost; 
you  '11  leave  the  sod  on  the  next  little  hillock 
you  meet.  When  the  Green  Knight  is  coming 
down  and  is  ready  to  strike,  give  him  a  blow 
with  the  sod;  you  '11  make  a  green  stone  of 
him." 

As  early  as  the  dawn  Lawn  Dyarrig  rose  and 
struck  the  pole  of  combat.  The  blow  that  he 
gave  did  not  leave  calf,  foal,  lamb,  kid,  or  child 
waiting  for  birth,  without  turning  them  five 
times  to  the  left  and  five  times  to  the  right. 

"What  do  you  want.?  "  asked  the  knight. 

"All  that 's  in  your  kingdom  to  be  against  me 
the  first  quarter  of  the  day,  and  yourself  the 
second  quarter." 

"You  have  not  left  in  the  kingdom  now  but 
myself,  and  it  is  early  enough  for  you  that  I  '11 
be  at  you." 

The  knight  faced  him,  and  they  went  at  each 
other  and  fought  till  late  in  the  day.     The  battle 


Lawn  Dyarrig  and  the  Knight,     275 

was  strong  against  Lawn  Dyarrig  when  the  lady 
stood  in  the  door  of  the  castle. 

"  Increase  on  your  blows  and  increase  on  your 
courage,"  cried  she.  "There  is  no  woman  here 
but  myself  to  wail  over  you,  or  to  stretch  you 
before  burial." 

When  the  knight  heard  the  voice,  he  rose  in 
the  air  like  a  lump  of  fog.  As  he  was  coming 
down,  Lawn  Dyarrig  struck  him  with  the  sod  on 
the  right  side  of  his  breast,  and  made  a  green 
stone  of  him. 

The  lady  rushed  out  then,  and  whatever  wel- 
come she  had  for  Lawn  Dyarrig  the  first  time, 
she  had  twice  as  much  now.  Herself  and  him- 
self went  into  the  castle  and  spent  that  night 
very  comfortably.  In  the  morning  they  rose 
early,  and  collected  all  the  gold,  utensils,  and 
treasures.  Lawn  Dyarrig  found  the  three  teeth 
of  his  father  in  a  pocket  of  the  Green  Knight, 
and  took  them.  He  and  the  lady  brought  all 
the  riches  to  where  the  basket  was.  "  If  I  send 
up  this  beautiful  lady,"  thought  Lawn  Dyarrig, 
"she  may  be  taken  from  me  by  my  brothers;  if 
I  remain  below  with  her,  she  may  be  taken  from 
me  by  people  here. "  He  put  her  in  the  basket, 
and  she  gave  him  a  ring  so  that  they  might  know 
each  other  it  they  met.  He  shook  the  gad,  and 
she  rose  in  the  basket. 


276  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

When  Ur  saw  the  basket  he  thought,  "What 's 
above  let  it  be  above,  and  what 's  below  let  it 
stay  where  it  is." 

"I'll  have  you  as  wife  forever  for  myself," 
said  he  to  the  lady. 

"I  put  you  under  bonds,''  said  she,  "not  to  lay 
a  hand  on  me  for  a  day  and  three  years. " 

"  That  itself  would  not  be  long  even  if  twice 
the  time,"  said  Ur. 

The  two  brothers  started  home  with  the  lady; 
on  the  way  Ur  found  the  head  of  an  old  horse 
with  teeth  in  it  and  took  them,  saying,  "These 
will  be  my  father's  three  teeth." 

They  travelled  on,  and  reached  home  at  last. 
Ur  would  not  have  left  a  tooth  in  his  father's 
mouth,  trying  to  put  in  the  three  that  he  had 
brought;  but  the  father  stopped  him. 

Lawn  Dyarrig,  left  in  Terrible  Valley,  began 
to  walk  around  for  himself.  He  had  been  walk- 
ing but  one  day  when  whom  should  he  meet  but 
the  lad  Shortclothes,  and  he  saluted  him.  "By 
what  way  can  I  leave  Terrible  Valley.?"  asked 
Lawn  Dyarrig. 

"If  I  had  a  grip  on  you  that's  what  you 
wouldn't  ask  of  me  a  second  time,"  said  Short- 
clothes. 

"  If  you  have  not  touched  me  you  will  before 
you  are  much  older." 


Lawn  Dyarrig  and  the  Knight.      277 

"  If  I  do,  you  will  not  treat  me  as  you  did  all 
my  people  and  my  master." 

"  I  '11  do  worse  to  you  than  I  did  to  them,"  said 
Lawn  Dyarrig. 

They  caught  each  other  then,  one  grip  under 
the  arm  and  one  grip  on  the  shoulder.  *T  is  not 
long  they  were  wrestling  when  Lawn  Dyarrig 
had  Shortclothes  on  the  earth,  and  he  gave  him 
the  five  thin  tyings  dear  and  tight. 

"You  are  the  best  hero  I  have  ever  met,"  said 
Shortclothes;  "give  me  quarter  for  my  soul, — 
spare  me.  When  I  did  not  tell  you  of  my  own 
will,  I  must  tell  in  spite  of  myself." 

"  It  is  as  easy  for  me  to  loosen  you  as  to  tie 
you,"  said  Lawn  Dyarrig,  and  he  freed  him. 
The  moment  he  was  free,  Shortclothes  said,  — 

"  I  put  you  under  bonds,  and  the  misfortune  of 
the  year  to  be  walking  and  going  always  till  you 
go  to  the  northeast  point  of  the  world,  and  get 
the  heart  and  liver  of  the  serpent  which  is  seven 
years  asleep  and  seven  years  awake." 

Lawn  Dyarrig  went  away  then,  and  never 
stopped  till  he  was  in  the  northeast  of  the  world, 
where  he  found  the  serpent  asleep. 

"  I  will  not  go  unawares  on  you  while  you  are 
asleep,"  said  Lawn  Dyarrig,  and  he  turned  to  go. 
When  he  was  going,  the  serpent  drew  him  down 
her  throat  with  one  breath. 


275  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

Inside  he  found  three  men  playing  cards  in  her 
belly.  Each  laughed  when  he  looked  at  Lawn 
Dyarrig. 

"  What  reason  have  you  for  laughing  ? "  asked 
he. 

"We  are  laughing  with  glee  to  have  another 
partner  to  fill  out  our  number." 

Lawn  Dyarrig  did  not  sit  down  to  play.  He 
drew  his  sword,  and  was  searching  and  looking 
till  he  found  the  heart  and  liver  of  the  serpent. 
He  took  a  part  of  each,  and  cut  out  a  way  for  him- 
self between  two  ribs.  The  three  card-players 
followed  when  they  saw  the  chance  of  escape. 

Lawn  Dyarrig,  free  of  the  serpent,  never 
stopped  till  he  came  to  Shortclothes,  and  he  was 
a  day  and  three  years  on  the  journey,  and  doing 
the  work. 

"Since  you  are  not  dead  now,"  said  Short- 
clothes,  "there  is  no  death  allotted  to  you.  I  '11 
find  a  way  for  you  to  leave  Terrible  Valley.  Go 
and  take  that  old  bridle  hanging  there  beyond 
and  shake  it;  whatever  beast  comes  and  puts  its 
head  into  the  bridle  will  carry  you." 

Lawn  Dyarrig  shook  the  bridle,  and  a  dirty, 
shaggy  little  foal  came  and  put  head  in  the 
bridle.  Lawn  Dyarrig  mounted,  dropped  the 
reins  on  the  foal's  neck,  and  let  him  take  his  own 
choice  of  roads.     The  foal  brought  Lawn  Dyarrig 


Lawn  Dyarrig  and  the  Knight.      279 

out  by  another  way  to  the  upper  world,  and  took 
him  to  Erin.  Lawn  Dyarrig  stopped  some  dis- 
tance from  his  father's  castle,  and  knocked  at  the 
house  of  an  old  weaver. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  asked  the  old  man. 

"I  am  a  weaver,"  said  Lawn  Dyarrig. 

"What  can  you  do.?  " 

"  I  can  spin  for  twelve  and  twist  for  twelve." 

*'This  is  a  very  good  man,"  said  the  old  weaver 
to  his  sons.     "Let  us  try  him." 

The  work  they  would  be  doing  for  a  year  he 
had  done  in  one  hour.  When  dinner  was  over 
the  old  man  began  to  wash  and  shave,  and  his 
two  sons  began  to  do  the  same. 

"Why  is  this.?  "  asked  Lawn  Dyarrig. 

"Haven't  you  heard  that  Ur,  son  of  the  king, 
is  to  marry  to-night  the  woman  that  he  took 
from  the  Green  Knight  of  Terrible  Valley.?  " 

"I  have  not,"  said  Lawn  Dyarrig;  "but  as  all 
are  going  to  the  wedding,  I  suppose  I  may  go 
without  offence." 

"Oh,  you  may,"  said  the  weaver.  "There  will 
be  a  hundred  thousand  welcomes  before  you." 

"Are  there  any  linen  sheets  within.?  " 

"There  are,"  said  the  weaver. 

"  It  is  well  to  have  bags  ready  for  yourself  and 
two  sons. " 

The   weaver   made    bags   for    the    three   very 


28o  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

quickly.  They  went  to  the  wedding.  Lawn 
Dyarrig  put  what  dinner  was  on  the  first  table 
into  the  weaver's  bag,  and  sent  the  old  man 
home  with  it.  The  food  of  the  second  table  he 
put  in  the  eldest  son's  bag,  filled  the  second 
son's  bag  from  the  third  table,  and  sent  the  two 
home. 

The  complaint  went  to  Ur  that  an  impudent 
stranger  was  taking  all  the  food. 

"It  is  not  right  to  turn  any  man  away,"  said 
the  bridegroom;  "but  if  that  stranger  does  not 
mind  he  will  be  thrown  out  of  the  castle." 

"Let  me  look  at  the  face  of  the  disturber," 
said  the  bride. 

"  Go  and  bring  the  fellow  who  is  troubling  the 
guests,"  said  Ur,  to  the  servants. 

Lawn  Dyarrig  was  brought  right  away,  and 
stood  before  the  bride,  who  filled  a  glass  with 
wine  and  gave  it  to  him.  Lawn  Dyarrig  drank 
half  the  wine,  and  dropped  in  the  ring  which  the 
lady  had  given  him  in  Terrible  Valley. 

When  the  bride  took  the  glass  again  the  ring 
went  of  itself  with  one  leap  to  her  finger.  She 
knew  then  who  was  standing  before  her. 

"This  is  the  man  who  conquered  the  Green 
Knight,  and  saved  me  from  Terrible  Valley," 
said  she  to  the  King  of  Erin;  "this  is  Lawn 
Dyarrig,  your  son." 


Lazvn  Dyarrig  and  the  Knight.      281 

Lawn  Dyarrig  took  out  the  three  teeth,  and 
put  them  in  his  father's  mouth.  They  fitted 
there  perfectly,  and  grew  into  their  old  place. 
The  king  was  satisfied;  and  as  the  lady  would 
marry  no  man  but  Lawn  Dyarrig  he  was  the 
bridegroom. 

"I  must  give  you  a  present,"  said  the  bride  to 
the  queen.  "  Here  is  a  beautiful  scarf  which  you 
are  to  wear  as  a  girdle  this  evening." 

The  queen  put  the  scarf  around  her  waist. 

"Tell  me  now,"  said  the  bride  to  the  queen, 
"who  was  Ur's  father.?  " 

"  What  father  could  he  have  but  his  own  father, 
the  King  of  Erin?" 

"Tighten,  scarf,"  said  the  bride. 

That  moment  the  queen  thought  that  her  head 
was  in  the  sky,  and  the  lower  half  of  her  body 
down  deep  in  the  earth. 

"  Oh,  my  grief  and  my  woe !  "  cried  the  queen. 

"Answer  my  question  in  truth,  and  the  scarf 
will  stop  squeezing  you.     Who  was  Ur's  father  .!* " 

"The  gardener,"  said  the  queen. 

"Whose  son  is  Arthur.?  " 

"The  king's  son." 

"Tighten,  scarf,"  said  the  bride. 

If  the  queen  suffered  before,  she  suffered  twice 
as  much  this  time,  and  screamed  for  help. 

"Answer  me  truly,  and  you  '11  be  without  pain; 


282  Hero-Tales  of  Ireland. 

if  not,  death  will  be  on  you  this  minute.  Whose 
son  is  Arthur?  " 

"The  swineherd's." 

"Who  is  the  king's  son?  " 

"The  king  has  no  son  but  Lawn  Dyarrig." 

"Tighten,  scarf." 

The  scarf  did  not  tighten,  and  if  the  bride  had 
been  commanding  it  for  a  day  and  a  year  it 
would  not  have  tightened,  for  the  queen  told  the 
truth  that  time.  When  the  wedding  was  over, 
the  king  gave  Lawn  Dyarrig  half  his  kingdom, 
and  made  Ur  and  Arthur  his  servants. 


Fairy  Tales  from  Old  Worlds  Across  the  Seas 


TALES  OF  FOLK 
AND  FAIRIES 


By  KATHARINE  PYLE 

Author  of 
"Wonder  Tales  Retold,*'  "In  the  Green  Forest,"  etc. 

With  Illustrations  by  the  author. 


From  the  old  worlds  across  the  seas  come  these  fairy  tales, — 
from  Scotland  and  Scandinavia,  from  the  Cossacks  and  the 
Russians  and  the  Serbians,  from  Persia  and  India  and  Arabia 
and  Bengal.  There  are  stories  of  enchanted  princes  and  be- 
witched princesses,  of  brave  deeds  and  clever  ones,  of  won- 
derful things  like  talking  eggs  and  a  magic  pipe  and  a  carpet 
that  flew  and  a  turban  that  made  its  wearer  invisible.  There 
are  tales  for  boys,  like  that  one  of  the  brave  lad  who  killed 
the  "Stoorworm";  there  are  stories  for  girls,  as  that  one 
about  the  wise  girl  who  could  guess  the  hardest  riddle  the 
King  could  ask.  And  there  are  stories  about  animals  and 
birds  for  both  boys  and  girls,  such  as  "The  Jackal  and  the 
Alligator"  and  the  story  of  the  beautiful  black  horse  that  be- 
friended the  widow's  son. 

They  have  all  been  translated  directly  from  the  folk-lore 
of  these  far-away  countries  and  tell  of  the  wonderful  things 
that  used  to  happen  there  commonly  enough  when  the  world 
was  young  and  people  had  not  lost  their  faith  in  witches  and 
enchantments.  American  children  will  enjoy  them  quite  as 
much  as  do  their  little  cousins  across  the  water. 


LITTLE,  BROWN  &  CO.,  Publishers 
34  Beacon  Stbeet,  Boston 


Thrilling  and  unusual  stories  of  magic  and  mystery  about  the 
people  who  lived  in  Ancient  Egypt 


EGYPTIAN  TALES 
OF  MAGIC 


By  ELEANORE  MYERS  JEWETT 

Author  of 
WoNDBB  Tales  from  Tibet 

With  illustrations  in  color  by  Mam-ice  Day 
12mo.     Cloth.    257  pages 

These  stories  that  were  told  by  the  dark  people  who  lived  on  the 
banks  of  the  Nile,  long,  long  ago,  are  probably  the  oldest  stories 
in  the  world.  The  tale  of  the  Vanished  Isle,  for  instance,  was 
probably  written  some  two  thousand  years  before  Christ.  Perhaps 
"King  Kliufu  and  the  Magicians"  was  set  down  upon  a  long 
papyrus  roll  at  that  time.  King  Seneferu,  who  figures  in  the 
account  of  the  lost  amulet,  lived  probably  three  thousand  years 
before  Christ.  And  the  stories  of  Isis,  Ra  and  Osiris  embody 
myths  which  go  back  into  the  dim  ages  of  prehistoric  times, 
though  the  form  in  which  we  know  them  is  comparatively  modern. 

In  Egypt,  in  the  olden  days,  wonder-working  magicians  were  as 
thick  as  dandelions  in  the  spring!  Almost  anybody  knew  enough 
to  turn  a  bit  of  wax  into  a  live  and  fearsome  crocodile;  and  the 
scribes  who  gave  their  lives  to  the  study  of  the  occult  art  could 
literally  move  mountains,  divide  the  sea  or  come  to  life  again 
after  they  had  been  accidentally  cut  to  pieces.  Thrilling  and 
unusual,  these  ancient  tales  of  magic  will  interest  modern  boys 
and  girls  and  make  the  long-dead  kings  and  princes,  boys  and 
damsels,  sailors,  priests  and  peasants  of  Ancient  Egypt  come  alive 
again  before  their  eyes. 


Boston  LITTLE,  BROWN  &  COMPANY  Publishbrs 


\nr 


14  DAY  USE 

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642 

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